Fairy Tales
by drakonlily
Summary: This was a hard one to label. The characters are mostly Final Fantasy, the setting is Kingdom Hearts. This is completely AU, but IC. See if you know where everyone is from. Cowritten with Verdot.
1. Death is a Beginning

**FAIRY TALES**

_Chapter One: Death is a Beginning_

When he had closed his eyes he relaxed, feeling oddly peaceful about the whole thing. But when he opened them, he was confused.

Fadeyka Veld knew with every bit of intelligence that his body had finally given out and he had died. So why was he walking? Where had his surroundings gone? He was in his suit again, too. And it was clean. The sky was clear and it was warm and pleasant.

Maybe it was the blue that reminded him, but it was something that she'd said, something that he didn't understand before.

_Don't be scared, when it comes. I'll be waiting._

So it was simple, really. He'd been given the chance to go find Ifalna.

He kept walking.

-+-

The city itself wasn't too busy, though the sun was warm even though it was setting. People seemed to be in a hurry. Two girls were complaining loudly about the curfew and it drew his attention because they seemed a little old for curfew.

"I don't like this; you'd think they could get the lights up faster."

"Well you can stay out; the vampire will get you if the heartless don't."

The second girl made a horrified face and quickened her pace.

Heartless? Vampire? If he didn't know better, he could swear he was in Midgar's underbelly... but that was clearly not the case, considering he could still see the sky so clearly.

It was a lovely enough place that he could definitely see Ifalna settling down there. Even though he knew she was dead. But so was he and clearly things were not as they seemed. Maybe this was what hell looked like for the first five minutes.

He cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Miss? Do you know what this place is called? I'm a bit lost." His voice sounded lighter, almost as if he were... younger.

The girl stopped and peered at him, leaning forward and putting her hands behind her back. "You're new aren't you?"

"Come on, Selphie it's getting dark!" The second girl seemed nearly frantic at the thought.

The calmer girl brushed brown hair over her shoulder. "Let's take you to the inn before it gets dangerous out here. This is Hollow's End." She put her hand over Veld's wrist. "The professor runs it, so if we have to stay there tonight it will be fine, Rikku."

Rikku nodded, eyeing the sun.

"She lost her cousin two nights ago, the heartless, or the vampire, one of the two."

"He wanted to get in the vampire's manor. He ... " Rikku shook her head, blonde hair waving. "Let's go."

"Heartless?" Something fearsome, apparently. He focused on the hand on his wrist for a moment. Not a twitch. Veld had had that beaten out by him. It still amazed Veld to this day.

The girl with the hand on the wrist drug him. "Yes, they are shadow monsters. Don't worry, we are used to people dropping in, they can explain it to you."

"The vampire dropped in too." The other girl commented. "My cousin thought he was connected to the heartless."

"Oh that's silly, the heartless were here first."

They lead him through town doors could be heard slamming shut and it was then he noted that even the windows were shuttered strongly.

"Sounds like a real pain in the neck." He'd meant the pun, as the girls that were leading him around seemed nervous. He'd gotten better with people over the years. Stern, he may have been, but cruel, he was not.

One laughed and the other cracked a smile. "Well at least you're handling this better, what's your name?" Selphie put her hand on the door and opened it for him.

"Veld." He didn't have to tell these people his first name, which was awful and foreign and generally something he hated. Ifalna had always called him Deyka when no one else was around, but that was her. At least her nickname was pleasant. Unlike certain people's. He shook his head.

Ashlee nodded. She waved to a man from behind the bar. "Professor? This is Veld, he turned up. Stopped him before he started heading to the manor."

The man was wiry with glasses and a messy ponytail. He adjusted the frames and peered at Veld and then nodded. He had a shockingly deep voice. "I'm sorry to hear that, son, you want a drink? If you can answer a few questions for me I'll give you free board for a while."

"I don't need a drink... and what sort of questions?" A place that was used to dead people popping in? Maybe it was Purgatory or Limbo then.

"Not even some juice or water?" He had a large forehead and a square jaw, rather familiar. "We get a lot of people that have been falling in. I'm trying to see where they come from, keep people from the same worlds in touch with each other... its... quite an endeavor." He brought out a notebook and wrote a set of numbers on top of it. "So what is your name?"

"Veld," he repeated, focusing a bit more on the man. Very familiar. Though, he had many pictures and thoughts go through his head, so he could be associating wrong.

"Your full name please?" The man looked up from over his glasses. "And would you like some food or anything, Veld?"

"You don't need to know my full name. And I'm not hungry. Where am I?" He didn't mean to be naturally distrustful. But considering where he'd just been moments ago... he had reason to be wary.

"I need as much information as possible, that way if you have friends or family that land here, I can direct them to you." He pointed to a large board, on it listed names and places, there were also photographs. "I've had some luck. You are in Hollow's End. We have maps of this planet under the cork board."

"I don't have any family. But... well, there is someone I'm looking for. She'd know me best as Deyka." He glanced over at the board. Strangers stared back at him.

"Deyka" He wrote it down in scratchy, cramped handwriting. After adjusting the glasses he looked back up. "Where are you from? Who are you looking for?"

"I'm from... Midgar. Her name's Ifalna. Ifalna... Gast." Not that any of the city names would be familiar here. So was this man a ghost too? Was everyone here... a ghost?

"Midgar... Gast..." He flipped through the books in thought. "That sounds familiar, actually."

"Do you know her? Is she alright?" That was stupid. She was dead. Dead dead dead. Like him.

"Ifalana! yes 321251." He smiled as though this was a wonderful find. Flipping his book over for Veld to read he pointed to the information, all filled out in Ifalana's small print.

"It says she was only here yesterday." That couldn't be true. She'd been dead for years before he'd finally given up.

"She was, she's gone now though." He pointed to the list of people she was looking for. "She said she wanted to see our vampire, he probably killed her, shame too, a nice young girl. Strange, but she was fond of you?" he thought a moment, pulled the book back to him and read the number. "Yes, she was fond of you."

"Vampire?" This was all so much at once. Why would Iffy- yes that sounded more natural than calling her Ifalna- why would she see a vampire?

He flipped a page about and pointed to a picture, it was blurred, the only things that were truly visible were red eyes and dark hair. "You'll have to ask the large man over there." The "man" was hardly such, however.

Huge wings stretched from a bulky frame, though they weren't covered in feathers, but flesh. His face was birdlike, dragonesque and he was ...orange? "That man is Garland or Garr, he is looking for people from a place called Windia."

It took Veld a moment before he garnished up the ability to walk up to this "man". He didn't want to seem rude and stare. Veld especially didn't want to appear rude if Garr could lead him to Ifalna. "Um, hi. And what do you know about this... vampire?" He had finally gotten to the point where he was just going to accept everything he saw.

Garr's bright eyes narrowed, his jaw worked twice, showing off fangs. "The vampire in the manor? Vicious thing, not a heartless though, I've see him kill them. He's not to be trifled with, boy." The mug that he was using for beer was massive and the chair he was seated at must have been quite strong.

"He's on Iffy's list... that has to mean something. And to be frank, I haven't been a boy in years." There was that pride again, something that would never get beaten out of Veld.

Garr chuckled, his wings moving and he smiled. "You remind me of a boy I knew... he became quite a man, though he wasn't one at all." He rubbed his chin. "The girl? We advised against it, but she was set in her ways, I lead her from town and to the manor. However, we were attacked by heartless. The vampire appeared, but I was forced to retreat without her."

"Well, I have to go see him at once. Do you have any firearms? I seem to have lost mine somewhere passing through the netherworld." Iffy had a knack for knowing things before they happened, and she must have known... was he supposed to save her or something? It sounded a bit too like those stories she was so fond of.

But he was forgetting something. He knew that.

"We do, but you aren't going out there, kid." Garr responded. "Too dangerous, the vampire doesn't like to be bothered and he's the only thing I've seen take on a team of heartless alone."

"Clearly, you were never a Turk." Yes, he was slightly younger, in body at least, here. He had a great pride for that organization, just before he... well, he didn't want to think about that. It had been worth it.

"Don't push your luck, kid, I felt bad enough about the young lady."

"No, clearly not bad enough. Firearms. Now." This was Veld the Turk leader. He didn't care that he was talking to a beast-like thing that talked like a man.

"Yer gonna getcher ass handed ta ya boyo!" A drunken yell came from across the room and Garr flinched. "Garr here can lift over 500 pounds! He kills DRAGONS!" Long fingers splayed out wide. "Ya wanna go die so bad, may as well do it here, Garr's nicer 'an a vampire."

"Viktor..." Garr started, a rumble rising up his massive chest.

"Ya ain't TELLING him, Garr." Viktor shook his head, shaggy black hair bobbing.

"You should let your sword talk..." Garr said.

"Oh he just carries on..." The young man tried to put an arm over the very tall Garr's shoulder and failed then leaned against him as though he were a wall. "This vampire's INSANE, kiddo. Flips all over, guns blazin' with a metal claw!"

"But I'm already dead. Just point me in the right direction, then." His patience was being tested. No, he didn't care about this certain death and all the blah blah blah. Iffy was waiting.

"You ain't dead kid." Viktor said, tapping Veld in the chest. "I'm lookin right at ya."

"No, you can go in the morning, but I refuse to let you leave at night." Garr said. "The vampire's taken bullet shots to the chest; he's nothing to be trifled with."

"In the morning then." He turned back to where the man with glasses was. "Where might I find a place to sleep?"

The man was studying them closely and then jumped. "Oh yes yes, we have beds in the attic for transients like yourself. The shops will be open in the morning as well. They accept gil here, if you use that as a form of currency."

He patted for his wallet. No, it didn't transfer either. "I do use it, but I seem to have lost my wallet as well as my sidearm. And thank you, sir."

Garr frowned. "If you talk to the shopkeeper he may have some weapons you could use. You should rest; it is strange, after landing here."

"YER the strange one ya moving land mass." Viktor smiled.

"In the morning I'll ask." He knew he wouldn't sleep, he was supposed to be sleeping eternally. But yesterday? He wasn't too far behind her.

So, once he no longer heard anyone shuffling about, he made use of a Turk's favorite exit and entrance... the window.

The streets were empty and silent and dark. They were honestly afraid, these people. He could almost regret sneaking out... but then again, what did he stand to lose?

The town spilled out, Veld had to duck under running wires and then, suddenly he realized how every bright they were trying to make the town itself. Standing half in and half out of the light, Veld looked from side to side, blinded for a moment with walls of black and white he staggered to the dark, sliding a bit. Sand. So he was by a beach…

After his eyes adjusted he could make out a path curling along the beach and up to a cliff hanging over the water. That must be where he could find his vampire. The walk was quiet, almost peaceful, till he heard something bounce against the sand.

With a shriek a creature jumped out at him. It had waving antenna, large feet and a row of yellow teeth. Green eyes the color of stagnant mako burned at him and clawed hands reached out for him.

Veld jumped backwards and the creature vanished into the sand, a pool of dark shadow slid to him, leaving a trail from where the creature fell.

Once the shadow settled under his feet, Veld started sinking, with a yell he turned to run. A clawed hand reached up from the pit of shadow, grabbing the back of his ankle and pitching him to the ground. He could feel another set of claws rake at his leg and a soft tongue lapped out at the wound.

Not thinking about much else, Veld kicked backwards and was rewarded with the creature's scream before he gained his feet again.

_There was once evil in this world. There still is, but this evil was inherently different. And there were no heroes to face it, so they locked it away._

He frowned, getting thoughts like that was distracting, and something was, in fact, trying to eat him.

One more scream and another creature leapt out at him, this one did not sink into the sand, instead it rocked from side to side, a blue tongue licked at one eye before it purred at him

_And they forgot about it, and soon new people came and took over. And the Dark One and the Gray One came into existence._

If he had died, he wasn't dead now. He could feel his blood seep from the wound in his calf and the adrenaline thick saliva sticking was to the wound. No, he was definitely wasn't dead any longer, his heart pounded in his chest.

The creatures came up then, bouncing in time to the beating of his heart. All as one, with their green eyes trained on him.

_The Dark One fell first, sleeping. The Gray One fell later, defending. And fell shadow covered the lands._

A feeling crept up in Veld's chest then; something else he thought had been beaten out of him…

…he was afraid. The strangest time for his mind to recite fairy tales. The _worst_ time. Another creature leapt at him and he did the only thing he could think of, meet it halfway. He struck out, palm flat in his chest when another voice hit his memories.

_Where'd you learn how to fight, punk? That was horrible._

Veld clenched his jaw. "I can't do this." It was an old conversation.

_That's chocoboshit. You came here. Do it._

Spinning, Veld threw his elbow into the heartless- that was what they had been called. "I can't, it isn't a matter of wanting."

_Stop crying about it and do it._

He kicked then, the creature fell back and hopped away before another lunged at him. Veld met it with a spinning kick. "What makes you so sure?" He looked at the ground, talking out loud and surrounded by shadows. He remembered this conversation.

_Because you can._

"So what, you send me to die so you don't have to do it yourself?" He spat at the ground, no longer feeling the gash in his leg. He backed up slowly, but the creatures were blocking the way to town.

_If I wanted you dead, I'd do it myself. Run when you need to, you stupid kid._

"I'm not stupid!" Veld yelled, though that voice he knew so well was only in his head.

The purring creatures continued to bounce with his heart, speeding up in time with the thudding in his chest.

_Then stop asking me a question when you know the common sense answer._

Veld did what common sense wanted him to. He turned and ran and the conversation played out in his head, the same as it had for years. Himself as a younger- perhaps himself as now, considering he didn't feel old any longer- and _him_. His … Veld didn't know what to call the older man at all.

_"If you hate me so much why keep me around? Answer me! Gods I hate you! Don't you walk away from me!" _

_"I do what I feel like." _

_"I really hate you." _

_"I know you do."_

And then the bastard died. The bastard let Veld tell him how much he hated him. And then he died. Heart in his throat, Veld sprinted down the beach, heading to the manor. Why did it seem so bad now, why was he feeling guilty now. All he wanted was to see Iffy.

Not to hear him.

Oh, that's what he'd forgotten. Pushed into the back of his mind, ironically, while he made to ascend past him. He'd met Iffy while the bastard was still alive; she used to mend his bones. With his adrenaline going the way it was now, it was no small wonder that his brain was catching up like that.

Light and darkness, she used to say. It was always about light and darkness. Well, he hoped the shadows would be sparser the closer he got to her. Because she was certainly not darkness.

Gods, he could still run fast. One of the few things he could always do. Run. Cowards ran, though, and he never liked that idea. But he could see a door; it almost rose out of nothingness. And maybe behind it he would meet far more evil than what was already pursuing him. Maybe he didn't care.

The door thundered open, Veld didn't _care_ if he was smashing down a vampires door at least it wasn't those black things. They poured in after him, purring, growling and tongues curling.

One landed on his back, pitching Veld to the floor in front of a tattered staircase. He rolled with it, growling himself. He kicked up and pushed the monster off of his body. Then there was an explosion and green orbs fell from where the heartless had been.

Some of the creatures glared up at where the explosion had come from. They stopped bouncing, turning their heads curiously. Three more explosions and the black creatures blew into green orbs. The heartless snarled, still coming in from the doorway.

And then there was the vampire. From the top of the stairs it rushed down in a flash of black, red, and gold. It flipped around the room, thirteen more heartless exploded in green. Before the vampire stopped long enough for Veld to get a good look at him he moved again, gold would flash and the heartless would explode before him. He finally slid to a halt at the door and slammed it shut, trapping Veld inside with the monsters. A spent clip fell to the floor.

Staring at it, Veld realized that he was using a gun. The Vampire crouched slowly, a red cape billowed at the floor in tattered edges and a golden claw was stained with red-black blood. He looked up at the vampire's face finally.

Somewhere, there was a god laughing at him. Because the last person he'd wanted to see was glaring at him. He should have known that Vincent Valentine wouldn't die so easily.


	2. Waking Up Moving On

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Two: Waking Up; Moving On_

No, Vincent Valentine wouldn't die till he was good and ready. That's just how he was and the proof was here in front of Veld. Of course, Veld had died to get her, hadn't he?

The gun reversed itself in Vincent's grip and he lobbed it to Veld. At the same moment he lunged at the heartless, it was hard to not pay attention to him. The claw was… fitting for him and it made Vincent look like the monster he always moved as. He'd always been fast, but this was something surreal.

_What had happened, what did Lucrecia do to him? _Veld paused a moment, wondering where he remembered that name from again.

Gritting his teeth Veld made himself snap out of it. He fired the weapon at the heartless, the kickback stunning him, the shot went wild. He glanced in Vincent's direction.

_Shoot the target already._

_I'm trying. _

_No, you aren't. _

Veld grit his teeth against yelling at Vincent. 'Not everyone is a born killer'.

The dark man wasn't paying attention to Veld, however. Instead the gold boot flew in a high arch before coming down on a heartless, exploding those orbs about again. Two of them jumped up at Vincent, disappearing into the floor as the one on the beech had. A dark puddle on the floor slid under and he sunk into the floor. The heartless formed a black ball, trying to consume him. They welled up, as if there was pressure below…and then he heard the chainsaw.

In an almost surgically smooth sweep, a grey skinned monster slung his chainsaw, littering green orbs about the floor. It looked around at the heartless and then attacked, in a quick, lumbering step. Veld backed up to the stairs eyes wide.

"He he he… POP! Gonna make you POP!" The monster's laugh wasn't right. There was something very off about it.

The remaining heartless tried to run, but the monster laughed at their attempts to work the door. It was stalking forward on those uneven footsteps with the chainsaw dragging on the floor. "Don't wanna pop!? Pop pop pop!" That wasn't Vincent's voice at all. That… how was that sound even in existence?

The heartless lay in little green orbs then, scattering the floor. The monster jerked its head as though shocked and looked up at Veld. "You should not be out alone." The chainsaw stopped then and the monster's head tilted. "It is good to see you."

"What the hell are you?" Veld hadn't cursed a good one in nearly ten years. He felt like a teenager, gaping at that... thing. And just what was the bastard presuming to sound PLEASED to see him?

It… chuckled. "Never did grow up, did you? Though I suppose, Veld, this is a bit of a shock to you? I apologize." It twitched again, and its eyes rolled. "He he he he… and you bleeed, I haven't had something bleeeeed for so-" The monster fell to its knees then, hands clutching its head.

He opened his mouth to protest the 'growing up' comment, but he realized protesting would sound childish. And why the hell did he care? And the thought occurred to him. "So you really are a fucking monster now. Fitting."

Vincent appeared, bubbling from the grey flesh. He panted a few times, face not showing pain if he felt any. "Was—" He stood slowly, "wasn't I always?" This was the voice of Vincent Valentine, the monster before him was one that he knew.

"I'm not here for you." He made sure to specify that, right away, so there was no confusion. "I heard that... a friend of mine came looking for you. They called you a vampire."

Red eyes narrowed at him, reading him. Black hair fell into his face, but Vincent ignored it. He simply stared without blinking, waiting.

"What?" He didn't like the staring. He could never tell what the bastard was thinking when he did that.

Vincent started up the stairs then; he reached down and removed the gun from Veld's hands on the way. The cape draped over Veld's shoulder for a second, sliding off of him as the ex-Turk walked up the steps.

"I'm looking for Ifalna. You probably don't remember her, because you didn't pay attention to much of, well, anything, but she's a friend of mine." If he kept walking, he wouldn't turn back or answer or acknowledge and gods, it pissed him off when he did that. But Veld was over fifty when he died, not fifteen, and why did he feel fifteen again?

Vincent paused for a moment, but did not turn around. "I remember her." He started walking again.

"Wait! Have you seen her? Gods, I just got here and she signed in yesterday, and I just wanted to see her." The brief thought about the vampire killing her that the others had commented on went through his head... and if Vincent didn't answer he was going to assume it was true. Then he would probably have to kill him- check that, try to kill him.

At the top of the stairs, Vincent turned and looked down at Veld. His expression very plainly told Veld that he knew how he felt about Ifalana. It plainly said that he was incapable of hiding anything from Vincent Valentine. "She was here, but left." He motioned to the ocean.

"Left? Where? Did she say anything to you?" He frankly didn't care if Vincent thought him a lovesick puppy or whatever wording he would use. He needed to apologize to Iffy at least. Because, yes, she mattered to him.

_But the fallen have a tendency of getting back up again. So they fought._

Vincent didn't say anything, he simply walked slowly down the hallway and into a room.

"Don't you fucking walk away like that! Did she say anything?!" He was following. Veld always followed. And he'd learned a few things in the years that Vincent was dead. He'd become the Chief. And he wanted to tell him that. Except... he couldn't.

He threw the door open, Vincent was seated at a desk, taking the gun apart, three more sat on the polished desktop, and even though he'd only used one, Veld knew he would clean all three. Vincent didn't need to look at the weapons when he cleaned them. Instead he studied Veld. "Are you that lost without her?"

He blinked. Well, he probably wouldn't have to see the bastard ever again, so he'd better be honest. "I am. Yes, this makes me a Turk failure. Now tell me if she talked to you."

One black eyebrow rose from over his red eyes. "Is that a bad thing? Being a failure as a Turk?"

Veld was nearly panicking, and it was really disconcerting how easily he could still unnerve him. But he didn't stutter, didn't ever shake. It had been properly beat out of him like everything else. "Did she, or did she not talk to you? This isn't about me or Turks or anything like that." Only Veld was perpetually defined by that role.

Vincent looked back down at the weapons even opening the bottles of cleaner came easily. "You're so damned in love you can't see straight, kid." He muttered, though it seemed to be half to himself.

"Look who's talking." No, he wasn't going to mention Lucrecia, he wasn't going to rub it in, that was wrong and mean and he didn't hate him enough to do that.

Gods, he wasn't fifteen anymore!

"I always thought you said you were better than I was, kid." Vincent said, back to the gun parts.

"I'm not a monster, if that's what you're saying. Not sure if that's better or worse anymore..."

_Always searching for the Light. They both did, only they never noticed, fixated on their own parallel destinies._

Vincent started clicking the gun parts back together, not speaking. The weapons came together with practiced ease, despite the monstrous claw that drew attention. He never blinked. Focused on the task sitting the weapons down one by one.

"If you're not going to help me, I'm just going to leave. I don't have time for this." He was walking, yes, he was the one that was going to walk away this time. He felt uncommonly brash, then. "Oh, and Vincent? I made chief." He felt it proper parting words.

The look that Vincent gave him was as though Veld had told him that black was a dark color or that ice was cold. "She said you'd come here."

He stopped. "She has that... tendency. I don't know how she does it. She just... knows." He took a breath. "Anything else I should know?"

"Ya did good, kid." Vincent got up and walked to the window, he looked down over the water. The heartless were stalking around town; they seemed to give him a wide enough distance.

His eyes went wide for a moment. Did he just...? No. Vincent fucking Valentine didn't compliment people. He broke their arms for not moving quick enough. Or broke their jaws for smarting off. At best, he ignored them. "Um... thank you."

He just stood at the window, watching. His hands behind his back, human wrist held in the metal claw.

If Iffy knew that he was coming, she must also have known that he would follow her. And she would be waiting. "What... what happened?" He shouldn't have asked that question, no, he shouldn't have, gods, the man didn't hate him, why was he still so worried about that?

At first he didn't think that Vincent would answer him. They stood there for what seemed like forever, Veld could feel sweat start to form on the palm of his hands. "She said you'd find her." He glanced over at Veld then, staring before looking back over the water. "She took the boat."

"Thank you, but that wasn't what I was asking about." Stupidly brave. How many times had he been told that?

"I am aware." Vincent responded.

"Never mind. Have fun brooding in here until you die for real this time, jackass."

He could see Vincent smile as though the comment amuse him, but the older man didn't turn and look at him fully or acknowledge out loud that Veld had spoken.

But Veld wasn't done. Because he was almost happy to see his poor excuse for a mentor. "What is your problem? Daddy beat you or something? Well mine did too, and I didn't turn out like you." Stupidly brave.

"Don't you have your eternal love to find or something poetic to that effect?" Vincent asked. Deadpan, no sarcasm, no bitterness, there was nothing in his tone.

"Oh come on, you know it doesn't work like that. People like you and me don't get happy endings. Especially not fucking poetic ones." His apathy was making him angry. It always made him angry.

Vincent's eyes closed. "Missing the obvious, kid."

"Well, I learned from the best." What had happened to him? He would have threatened to break his arm by now and in a couple more words from his mouth, made good on that threat.

Vincent turned and looked at him. "Go find her, already."

Veld didn't think. "Then come with me."

"Go away, kid."

"I'm not like you, I won't walk away and you know it."

"Yes you will. Get out."

"No I won't. You see, I grew up some after you died. Probably not much in your eyes, but then again, you only see what you want to see." He didn't even know why he wanted the man to come with him.

"You're still a punk. Ifalana wants to see you, she loves you. Go away." Deadpan. Still totally deadpan.

"Why are you so insistent that I go away?" He was mildly shocked that Vincent had paid that much attention to Iffy, but then again, it must have been some kind of obvious if even HE noticed. Which made himself, Veld, a rather dense idiot.

"Because I want to go back to sleep, kid." Vincent said matter of factly.

"That's a stupid reason." Veld's tone matched his.

Vincent flopped onto the bed then, not bothering to turn down the covers and closed his eyes.

"She really did break you or something. Gods." Veld didn't feel pity for the man. That was something you reserved for other kinds of people.

"No one fucking broke me, brat. Sod off." Vincent's eyes didn't open but there was an edge to his tone, the closest he ever got to a warning. Vincent Valentine didn't make threats if he said he was going to do something, it would happen.

"No. I died and you're the first person I've seen that I recognize and you're being a brooding prick. You need something to do." He crossed his arms. This was the tone he used with rookies, not mentors. Vincent had slipped.

"I died too, quit fucking whining about it and get out of here before I break your jaw." Vincent snapped.

"There's the Vincent I know. And that threat doesn't scare me anymore. I'll just heal up and come and annoy you again." He always acted as if Veld was some kind of great burden. At least, that was how Veld saw it.

One eye opened and glared at him. It closed then. It was enough of a warning. Vincent said he'd do it, Veld didn't doubt that he would.

Veld sat down at the desk. He'd stay awake for days if he had to. Iffy was waiting for him, and he must just be happy this time around. But he was forever lieutenant to this man, and it was his job to make sure he got his head out of his ass.

"Out." Vincent repeated. He did not need to attach a bodily threat; the tone did it for him.

Veld got up. "I'll be back tomorrow." It was still dark outside; he'd have to run again.

"Take one of the fucking guns, stupid punk." Vincent said, drawing Veld's attention to the obvious. He then fell silent.

"Sleep well." He didn't take the large one. But he wasn't stupid enough to take the small one.

_Special thanks again, goes out to my cowriter, Verdot_


	3. Setting Sail

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Three: Setting Sail _

_"You look pretty beat up. Did you get into a fight with a gang or something?"  
"No, I just mouthed off."   
"Here, let me look at that. It'll swell."  
"Why are you helping me?"  
"Because I know how to, silly."_

It had been a week. Veld showed up at Vincent's keep every evening, just before the Heartless came out. He eventually worked his way into his own gun, getting pretty good at fighting the heartless on his way home. Having reverted back to his prime, Veld was able to try out some things he hadn't done in years. Of course, he still had no idea what this place was, but at this point, Veld didn't care.

He was just about to head out for the evening when he noticed something else familiar about the older gentleman with the glasses. Veld stopped just outside the door and walked back to where the professor was. The white lab coat had a particular insignia sewn into one of the pockets. It was something Veld should have noticed before.

"So you're from my world, then." Veld didn't like preambles, there was something about this man that he couldn't place. The professor made him feel all at once at home and uneasy.

"Of course I'm not." The older man smiled and adjusted his glasses. "What makes you think that?"

"The ShinRa symbol on your lab coat. I thought you looked familiar." Though he felt uneasy, Veld offered a returning smile. The science department had been friendly, if off in many ways. He'd never had any major issues with them, Veld had even met Ifalna there. Though there was still something wrong that was clamoring for him to remember it.

"Then who do you think that I am?" The blond man asked with his mouth down turned.

Veld's smile faded quickly. "Not sure, exactly. I don't recall any blonds. Maybe you came later, timelines seem to overlap here." Veld then squinted, taking in the roots of the other man's hair. It _was_ dyed. Maybe that's why Veld didn't recall the man as well as he would have otherwise.

"Perhaps you're mind's slipping a bit? I know a nice doctor in Commerse Town." When Veld didn't respond to the comment, the professor shrugged and changed topics. "I'd watch yourself on the beach tonight, it's going to get nasty. A time is coming to kill that vampire, as soon as the lights come up."

This was not good. "You don't say…" Veld responded, mentally kicking himself for feeling worried. Vincent would stay holed up in that place until he'd either killed them all or they'd killed him at this rate.

The man nodded. "Yes, dangerous, after all."

Something clicked, but he wasn't sure what it was. "You would think that, wouldn't you?" Veld wasn't exactly sure as to why, but he was suddenly very uncomfortable with this man.

"You've been staying up very late, Veld." The man sounded falsely worried. "Get some rest, you'll feel better for it."

Veld shook his head and checked his firearm. "Oh, I can't rest quite yet. But thanks anyway."

"If you say so, kid." The man went into the back room then, closing the door behind him.

The walk to Vincent's was practiced and instinctual at this point. It was as if this new life was comprised of only going to see Vincent to try to jumpstart _something_. Every time, though, Veld failed. The only thing that seemed to be getting accomplished was Vincent looking more and more annoyed. Veld wondered if they would have ended up coming to blows. He hoped not, as he didn't know how many times, exactly, he could die.

Vincent didn't say anything this time; he had a book and seemed rather determined to utterly ignore Veld.

"They're sending people after the 'vampire' tonight."

Vincent held up a golden claw in response. Why would he be worried?

"The gentleman that seems to be in charge of the place I'm staying has a ShinRa symbol on his coat. I think he's sending them." Veld admitted to himself that he felt more at ease reporting a dangerous situation to Vincent than he had doing anything else these past two weeks.

"I wouldn't doubt that." Vincent responded, flipping a page.

"Oh? Do you know who he is, then? My memory's still sketchy from dying and all." He now remembered how he died in the labs. It had been less than pleasant.

"You tell me, kid." Vincent continued to read from where he laid on the bed, unmoving and unbothered

"Why won't you just tell me what happened? I'll tell you what happened to me."

Voices from the past were unnerving, and he was hearing them a lot lately. _I don't really care what you do, kid._

Vincent got up then, sitting the book down and saying nothing. He just watched, waiting for Veld to speak.

"Oh so you do care? Or are you just bored." Veld didn't mean to sound so young; it was just what happened when one talked to Vincent Valentine.

"You've already made up your mind to the answer, kid." Vincent responded, still giving Veld his full attention.

"Have fun with your shootout, Vincent. You're on your own." Veld didn't know why he was so upset. But he just couldn't stay here anymore. Maybe he should move on and find Iffy already.

A smirk twisted Vincent's lips. "Obviously you think wrong then."

Veld's brain took a few moments to process it. This was almost overwhelming. Complimented and... was Vincent messing with him? Veld hoped not, because this was in fact the second best conversation he'd ever had with his... role model. Yes, he looked up to the asshole. He couldn't help it. He could be fifteen or fifty and he still would. "Well... ok." There were only two people that reverted him back to an awkward teenager. He was looking for one of them. The other was in this room with him.

Silence.

Veld fiddled with his hair. "Um, well, how about we get going first? Not that I don't know how to handle a gunfight or whatever, but if you can avoid one, it's best." He almost wanted to hit himself. Well of course Vincent knew that... he'd told Veld that.

Those red eyes drilled into him for another moment. "They won't be here when the heartless are here." Of course not. One hunted vampires during the day.

"Well, um, good time to sneak off then, before they get here." Vincent wasn't going to come with him, he hadn't convinced him, why was the man so selfish?

Vincent leaned against one of the bedposts then, with an expression that clearly told Veld he knew he had changed the subject. That Veld was dodging around things. And Vincent Valentine knew it. He was waiting for Veld to continue the conversation.

Veld sighed, it had been building up through his past week. Remembering that the blond man was a ShinRa doctor had closed the deal in Veld's memory bank. The main details were still so fuzzy. "I was in the labs for human testing. I think that one of the kids screwed up and I took the fall for him." Had that been what happened? Tseng had messed up? It didn't really matter now. "I only lasted about a month." He added bitterly. "There. Happy?"

Why couldn't he blink? Why didn't he just look like he felt _something_? Of course Veld felt stupid saying it like that. How many _years_ did it take to turn Vincent into the monster he had seen downstairs a week ago? Ten? Twenty? After some indeterminable time had passed, Vincent stood and crossed to his weapons, putting them into the holsters on his body. He then turned to the door and started out.

"Oh, so you're walking out again." He didn't mean to sound young, bitter, or surly, but he managed all of those things. But it was a pattern of behavior. Vincent always left.

He looked over his shoulder, for a second, Veld thought he saw a smile. "I was under the impression that you wanted us to leave tonight."

"Oh. Right. Of course." How did he do that? Damn confusing old man.

_But evil was only resting, and they who once fought set aside their quarrel in search of the Light._

"Hopefully the Heartless won't be too thick on the way to the docks, not that we couldn't handle them or anything..." He was _babbling_. This being dead and running into his mentor thing was going to make him lose his mind.

Vincent Valentine said nothing; he simply walked along the beach, barely leaving marks in the sand to show his passing. His eyes glowed like the heartless' did, though Vincent's were red. He stood overlooking the water at the dock; there was one ship left; it didn't look expressly trustworthy.

Veld could hear the heartless purring all around them, but the creatures didn't advance.

"Hm. Well, unless another boat appears out of nowhere, looks like we're stuck with this. Hopefully it won't sink, with those boots and claw of yours you'd sink straight to the bottom." It was surreal. Veld had always figured when he grew up he'd be able to talk to Vincent like an equal or something. But he still felt like a kid.

The silence from the man was less troubling than he thought it would be. There was something... distinctly atrophied about him. Maybe Iffy would have something to help Veld fix Vincent when they found her.

Yes, _they_. He was still a little surprised at Vincent's change of heart.

Vincent looked the ship over and his constant frown deepened. "Do you need the boat at all?" He turned at looked at Veld as thought the younger man should know exactly where to go and what to do about this.

Veld closed his eyes for a minute. He knew this beach. He hadn't noticed it before, but he did. "Ya, we have to cross this channel. Unless you wanted to swim?"

The heartless continued to bob, purring just out of reach.

_The sky is bluest near the water._

He actually had no clue what to do, except... go. He hoped the wind would blow him in the right direction. He didn't often seek what he'd lost... that was always his problem in life. Unable to let go, but unable to seek. Well, this was his chance.

Red eyes narrowed and Vincent looked distinctly not amused. He tried the doorknob to the captain's room, and when that didn't work he lifted his claw and brought it down swiftly. The doorknob fell to the deck and with a push of a golden finger, the door slid open.

"Always prepared." Veld mumbled.

Slowly, Vincent advanced, turning his gaze from one black corner of the cabin to the other. The soft red glow wasn't as disconcerting as Veld would have thought. Vincent read the dials for a moment before turning on heel and walking out of the room, throwing it totally into darkness.

Just outside the window, Veld could make out bright green eyes. The heartless were licking the window, bobbing up and down to the beat of his heart.

He figured that the engine would be running in a few minutes. After he'd stopped being a young punk, mostly, they worked fairly well together. Silently, with lots of unspoken hatreds or worse, but they were a unit. It made sense that Vincent would search for Iffy with him.

_"Is it clear?"  
"Yes, all clear sir."_

The water was dark but he could tell once the light was out that it would be clear. It was almost metaphorical that way, like things Veld had read about when he wasn't pretending that he was a corporate dog. Funny, Vincent had alluded to that same feeling. And here he figured he'd _liked_ that sort of thing. Then again, what Veld thought and what was true tended to differ.

True to Veld's prediction, the boat rumbled to life. Veld could then hear the sound of Vincent's hand canon discharging and a bright flash of green lit the corners of his vision. The other heartless scampered off the boat then, keeping clear of Vincent.

"Second star to the right and straight on till morning?" He smiled a little.

Vincent arched an eyebrow as though he'd never heard the saying before. He then backed the boat up and turned the craft about. After they were pointed in an outward direction, Vincent left the helm to Veld's control.

Then again, he supposed he was being a little silly. Veld took the wheel, yes it was an old fashioned ship's wheel, and gave a nod in Vincent's direction. "Well, here goes, I guess. And ah... thanks."

Dawn came quicker than he would have imagined. The channel was wider than Veld expected, and it was midmorning before there was even a hint of land. Was she there, maybe? Or would he have to tear this world apart looking for her? Veld shouldn't worry though, he had help.

Help that had been silent the entire voyage so far.

Vincent still hadn't told him what had happened, then again, Veld had left out some details himself. Not that Veld recalled them all quite yet. Things were clicking slowly like sand in an hourglass. "I think we'll be able to dock soon." Veld offered.

Vincent hadn't, in fact, moved at all from where he had stood when Veld took over the boat. He simply nodded to indicate that he'd heard Veld speak.

"So what's your side of the story? I told you mine." Again, with being brash. But he supposed it Vincent was going to kill him for something, then he'd do it quickly and efficiently. Like everything else that Vincent did.

"I woke up in the bed in the manor." Vincent said, watching the land come into view.

"Before that."Veld had to skirt the small vessel around water that was steeply becoming more shallow.

"Classified, kid." Vincent commented, finally looking over his shoulder at Veld.

"Sorry to sound disrespectful, but that's bullshit. I don't see any Shinra around here." It was a poor excuse, after all.

"You aren't telling me everything." Vincent responded, "so I am doing the same." Though he didn't say that he would tell Veld what had happened to him for anything. Vincent turned the gold claw about, looking at it as it reflected the daylight.

"I told you more than you told me, though, despite."

Vincent nodded in agreement before turning to walk back outside. The dock was bobbing closely before them. This town like many others had lights strung about like a fence. Large flood lights were mounted on poles even far into the water. Even so, the dock looked rarely used, as though the blackness of the sea was too much.

Jumping smoothly to the dock, Vincent tied the ship off. The wind messed with his hair again, he brushed it aside with the human hand after a moment's hesitation.

Veld shrugged it off for now. Later, then. He too jumped off the ship when it was secure. "So I guess we go talk with civilization and see if we can find her."

_"You know, you shouldn't push yourself so much."   
"Ya, but you're a scientist, Iffy, not a Turk. You wouldn't understand."  
"Oh, but I'm not."  
"Not what?"  
"A scientist."_


	4. Lost Hearts

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Four: Lost Hearts _

This town didn't look nearly as well kept as the other one. Almost as if a storm or two had blown through it and no efforts had been made to repair it. Vincent scowled and shook his head slightly. Rubbing at his temples, he took a deep breath and waited for Veld to start walking.

Veld was leading again and despite having had years experience doing so, he felt out of place. That coupled with the eerie sort of deserted feeling to the town... it almost made him nervous. _Fearful, nervous_, these were things he'd left behind.

Low, feral and completely inhuman, a growl crept up from beside Veld. He knew Vincent's growl by now, it had never sounded exactly human. Veld peered ahead and down the docks to see what his mentor was snarling at.

A blue suit. Veld hadn't expected any of his kids; they'd gone to blue suits last he remembered. But it seemed that death and time had been mixed up beyond all repair.

The blue suited figure spoke up then. "I was wondering how long it would take you to get here. I've been here for months." Veld fully registered the person now and he smiled. It was an old favorite of his. His hair was up, though he had a fleeting memory of it down at some point. He looked stern.

"Seems like I'm running into old friends all over the place. Good to see you, Tseng." Not the best fighter he'd ever commanded, but this kid was loyal. Intensely.

For some reason, however, Vincent was not relaxing.

"So what are you doing, Sir? Tracking down your... kids, as you used to say?" Tseng's voice had a slight edge to it. It was distinctly off in a way that wasn't definable.

"Oh, just looking for an old friend... didn't realize that anyone else would end up here. Ran across Vincent completely by chance." Veld motioned to his companion.

Tseng's eyes flicked over to the dark man briefly before settling back on Veld.

_Some things were not as they should have been, as hearts had been turned for jealousy or ambition or something even less worthy._

"Vincent…" Tseng turned then, looking at the tall man.

For his own part, Vincent was as still as death itself.

"Who are you looking for, Veld?" That tone still crept about his words, something like a tightrope walker.

Veld pretended to not notice. "You remember Ifalna, right? I guess you were a bit young then. She was the one that splinted up your arm that time you fell and sprained it."

Tseng had started early in the Turks as well, but under slightly more cheery circumstances than his own. He'd been part of a pact with Wutai, an attempt to smooth things over after the war. He'd always been a little serious, but there were few Wutains that Veld had known that weren't. "I haven't seen anyone since we all died, Veld."

It seemed like everyone had died. "Oh. Sorry to hear that. I hope that they'll be doing better than... you wouldn't happen to have known anyone that might have seen her pass through here?" He didn't mean to sound so one track, but it was clear as day in his mind, she'd told him to go looking for her, and he'd said and done enough bad things that he just wanted to do something... right.

There was a tense, emotional pause. "Can I speak with you… alone, Veld?" He didn't glance at Vincent but it was obvious what was making him nervous.

"Alone? That's hardly necessary and we are in a hurry, Se." He reverted easily to his "leader" tone around his kids. They needed it, Veld realized. Vincent did not.

"You told me we were important, prove it." Tseng's voice hitched then. "That you'd always be there."

Vincent snorted at the comment. No, he'd never been like that, Veld was a different leader.

He didn't like being put on the spot like that. He sideglanced at Vincent, who probably thought Veld was too soft. Constant fighting had worked for Vincent when he trained Veld, but not everyone was Fadeyka Veld. "I guess Vincent looks a little imposing... not far, alright?" He didn't want to admit it, but Veld was almost afraid that the man would run off.

"Veld." Vincent said and that was all. It was all he needed to say. He did not want Veld going with Tseng.

Vincent Valentine was brutal, but the corporal definition of trustworthy and honesty. "No, if you wish to speak with me, you will speak with him present."

"He's not sane." Tseng said. "Didn't you tell us horror stories about him?"

He hadn't meant for the stories to sound that way. Tseng was twisting his words. "We're all a little less than sane, Tseng. It comes with the territory." Veld felt the need to speak up for Vincent. It wasn't that the gesture was needed, but Vincent never trash talked.

"He's a monster; you're going to trust him over me? You're scarred up because of him." Had he said all of that? He couldn't have. "Veld, we need you." Tseng's voice sped up, lifting in pitch.

Veld tried to overtake that tone with a calm, authoritative one. "Monster or not, this man deserves your _respect_, kid." He had taken on the disciplinarian edge it used to. He was hardly the type of leader that Vincent was, but he was just as intolerant of failure.

Vincent had yet to move, he glared in that way that Veld had seen illicit confessions from grown men. Coupled with knowing that Vincent was not one to take any form of insolence lightly it was a tad confusing why he hadn't moved at all.

"Veld, stop chasing a married woman around! What about me?!" Tseng yelled suddenly.

Veld glared. "It isn't like that, what are you yelling about?" Iffy wasn't married when he met her, and he really just wanted to apologize. Veld had been a first rate jackass when he'd found out she was getting married, and he'd regretted it ever since.

"You... you ignore what's in front of your face... you left us." Tseng's hand went slowly to the back of his pants. "You wanted her instead. You left me..."

Tseng drew the weapon then, but a silenced shot rang out and Tseng dropped it. Tseng cursed cupping his hand and the barrel of Vincent's gun smoked over Veld's shoulder.

"Bastard! I'm not going to let you take him from me! NO ONE is taking him from me! THEY ARE MINE!" Tseng yelled, he lost all composure and stood straight. Voice cracking and fists clenched at his side. "NO ONE!"

Then the floodlights came on. They worked in the opposite way of the ones from Hollow's End. The entire town was covered in a thick blanket of blackness. Even Vincent's red eyes lost their glow.

"When visibility is low, you have to remember your other senses. Or you're dead."

The claw dug into Veld's collar, he was being pulled. Turks had night-vision as an added bonus to their mako enhancement, but Vincent wasn't waiting for Veld to adjust. Two more gunshots went off, Tseng yelped, Vincent had fired, why was he running?

Looking back he watched as Tseng started sitting up, even with a bullet hole between his eyes.

"Holy fuck," he muttered without thinking, suddenly aware that whatever that was, it wasn't quite the Tseng he was used to.

"Veld." Vincent hissed, already near the alley. Veld's eyes adjusted then, he blinked a few times, and then the city was lined with mako green, every detail lighting up with his night vision. It was strangely familiar.

"YOU AREN'T LEAVING ME AGAIN!" Tseng yelled; that in and of itself was amazing considering the other bullet hole in his throat.

A whooping call echoed then, something like a bird. Vincent froze again, red eyes darting around.

"There are others." Veld said quietly, reverting back again to the Turk he used to be. At least he hoped he was.

Vincent's human hand gripped Veld's shoulder again, yanking him off his feet as if he'd been fifteen again. He fired three more shots and those green orbs splashed about again. The whooping sound started up again and now Veld focused.

It looked like a cat, an immensely large, flat headed cat. Huge paws and thin legs, it swayed slowly, tilting its head back and whooping.

"Bring him here!" Tseng ordered.

_"You… what are we doing?"  
"Running, brat, what's it look like."  
"I didn't think you were a cowar- OUCH"  
"Say something stupid again and I'll leave you to your brave death." _

It made sense now, when he thought about it, Vincent led and Veld followed, both of them running, not pausing when they took shots at the new heartless.

These creatures were faster than the jumping monsters, sleeker, and their claws made sparks on the alleys. "Did you see that?" Veld asked, he pointed up, and though it was gone now, he knew he saw a window lit up.

"Yeah." Vincent changed direction; both of them sprinted across the street.

Because there had been a light.


	5. Chapter Five: Reunions

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Five: Reunions _

The doors had been cemented up sloppily; large lumps of the solid grey matter were piled in front of where the cement was thrown. Buckets were firmly fixed to the floor. The fire escape was dismantled entirely, jagged parts jutting out like a ribcage. However, they needed in this building. The whooping heartless were getting to be too much to bare, it was impossible for one to hold onto a sane thought with that sound raking over the brain.

It was strange for a cellar to be boarded up as it was- from the outside- huge planks of wood and blocks of cement held the doors down. It was the only entrance not completely covered with cement, so this must have been how the people got in, but how were they to get out? Vincent and Veld shared a look. Whoever turned that light on may want out of the city as much as they did.

The cement blocks cracked when Vincent tossed them aside. They threw the planks of wood aside as well and ducked into the cellar. Softly burning bracers assisted with the light but they did nothing for the horrible smell that assaulted their noses.

Vincent growled again before he walked down the steps with his weapon lifted. Veld pressed his back against the wall, doing as he'd trained to do. He looked up at the open cellar door for a moment and followed Vincent into the room.

The smell already informed Veld that he was going to see more than one dead body. No one could get that smell out of his system. It wasn't like a dead animal. Dead people smelled different.

_"Stop hacking and get to work."  
"God how long have they been in that trunk?"  
"Smells like two weeks."_

It was something he didn't want to know how to do. But he did it, because the man that led his way had done it. Dead things did not scare a Turk, watching a man or a woman or even a little child die did not scare a Turk.

Vincent Valentine had _killed_ other Turks.

The arm at Vincent's foot was familiar. The tattoo… where had Veld seen it before? A drip drew his attention to the ceiling. Veld wished that he hadn't looked. The face was sunken and dead, but it matched the tattooed arm. Cornelius. He was suspended with poles that were parallel to the ceiling, sliding under his skin, through his chest. Veld looked away.

He turned around, and for a moment thought someone was alive, but then the eyes looked lifeless. Glass. Veld was supposed to be used to death, death was what he used to deal in, this wasn't...

_What the Shadow consumes, it consumes utterly. They were horrified, even the Dark One could not stand up to this sort of maliciousness._

"Jess…" She'd been so pretty, all his girls had been pretty. Pretty enough for someone to stuff. Veld could see the stitch work now, it was poorly done. Her head was loose, her hair fit poorly on her head. Out of the corner of his eye he saw red hair. He didn't want to go over and see what had become of Flip.

A gunshot went off then, and he turned. Vincent put his weapon away and pushed a coffin closed. Vincent shook his head and if Veld hadn't known him, the look of compassion would have been missed in his red eyes. The dark pool of blood under it was telling. A bleeding box? Where did someone get those things?

He met Vincent's eyes and the dark man shook his head. "Gone."

A blonde head alerted him to where Anna was... she been tied, no, sewn to Sarai. There had been a joke that those two were attached at the hip, once. Now it was literal. Veld used to think Vincent was a monster, hell, he even turned into them. But... this wasn't human. This couldn't be human.

"Veld." Vincent put his hand on his shoulder. "Let's go Veld."

He couldn't move, but he did. "...What... what about the light?"

Vincent strode from the bloodstained room to the stairs, trusting Veld to follow him. They took the stairs one against each wall and climbed the steps together. He knew how to go through the motions, Veld could have nightmares later.

Vincent halted, hearing quick movement, three different sets of footsteps. They all halted. Something was waiting for them at the top of the steps.

Veld's finger was on his trigger... there wasn't even a question of him having his gun already drawn. When would he stop having a gun in his hand? He was dead and still had one!

_"I'm not sure if I can do anything else, Iffy."  
"Maybe not yet. But you will."  
"You're always so sure of things, you know that?"_

Vincent crouched, looking at Veld. One gold claw pointed to his chest and then to the top of the stairs and to the right. The same claw pointed to Veld then down. The translation was clear 'cover me'.

He nodded, and prepared. This was just like any other time he'd worked with him. They always paired them up, it was like a traditional. That, or no one else would put up with Vincent.

Then again, maybe it was the other way around. He'd never thought of it that way, but Vincent didn't tolerate anyone else. Not that he was particularly NICE... but he did talk to him. Maybe he had a higher opinion of him all along.

He suddenly regretted that the last words between them in life had been in anger.

Vincent jumped from the crouch, and four weapons went off. The ex-Turk ducked just as Veld stood up covering him firing at where they both knew one of their attackers were. Spinning, Vincent rolled out of the way of another hidden shooter and then jumped to his feet. Veld heard a gun click beside him and he spun. And it fell silent.

Veld was staring into a pair of large brown eyes. Those eyes widened for a second before hardening again. "Sir?" He focused. "...Elena?" Oh gods, some were alive. And not crazy. That must have been where the light was coming from. Them.

"He cool, Elle?" Reno's voice, strained, tired. He'd always been a little edgy.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him, hand not moving to from the gun.

"I died. I ended up here. The same for you kids?" He kept the other two in the corner of his eye, though he didn't need to. Vincent was handling them.

Elena waited.

"Let up, Elle." Reno said. At one the weapons returned to their places. Upon turning he could see why Reno looked strained. His left side was caked with blood, it all seemed to come from a gash on the side of his head, they'd messily managed to put a patch over what had been his eye. "I think we're pretty damned alive, yo. Least till Se catches us."

"What... what happened to him?" Veld felt responsible, he couldn't help it. The kid had looked to him, looked up to him... and he ended up a sociopathic zombie with attachment issues. Some legacy.

Reno and Rude shared a look. Reno brushed bright red hair from his face and nodded. Vincent stepped back then and settled on a crate against the wall.

Without looking, Rude tossed a gold lighter to Elena who caught it. The pack passed around the three of them as did the lighter. When Rude bent his bald head to light his smoke he then looked at Reno again.

The red head nodded and tossed the large man the pack. He offered a cigarette Vincent, who accepted.

"After ya died? He moped around fer weeks." Reno muttered. "Sorta sucked a lot out of him, started yammerin to that Lucrecia bint about "heartless"." A cloud of smoke tumbled from Reno's mouth. He smiled grimly. Veld offhandedly was shocked with how white Reno maintained his teeth. "And then they wanted ta change our shots about. Moved shit around."

"Sephiroth lost his mind." Elena commented slowly.

Rude nodded and then shrugged.

"We don't really know how we got 'ere." Reno explained. "Fer all I know Se went nuts and shot us all. But we here now, and I don't want to pretend I can die twice."

"Something is not right about this all. Not just Tseng, either." _When a soul dies, it goes back to Gaia, to be reused, again and again... like a washing machine cycle._

Elena swallowed. "Tseng was fine for a few days when we got here..."

"He sold his heart, Ah keep tellin ya that guy bought his heart and he totally lost it." Reno smashed the cigarette out with his boot. "He and them heartless monsters chased us all in 'ere an boarded us up."

"No food left." Rude commented.

Veld pinched his nose, a habit he'd developed when he got older. "We could try to go for the boat and get to another port town..." He was mostly thinking out loud.

"Tried that." Reno motioned to his eye. "Hey with Vamp boy over here maybe we can get outta this death trap?"

A black eyebrow arched from Vincent.

Rude cleared his throat, looking over dark glasses at Reno and then over to Vincent. Reno blinked a few times and then looked at Veld, turning his one remaining eye up to Vincent he swallowed. "Fuck, yer Vincent Valentine?"

Vincent merely nodded.

"Look man, I'm tore up, I've had a real, _REAL_ long month-" he started edging backwards, next to Elena and Veld. "Jus don't eat me er nothing…"

Veld snickered. "Reno, just shut up."

Vincent's red eyes narrowed, and then he looked back to the basement. After a moment's thought he headed back down the stairs.

Rude and Elena looked at Reno who then looked at Veld. "So we follow tha scary mo-fo then right?" He asked. A purple bag showed under his eye, the wrap around his head wasn't very good, and Veld could see where blood had seeped through.

"We follow the oldest Turk around here, yes," Veld replied.

Reno made a motion with his hand then, Elena and Rude moved to follow him. "Tha's one scary guy, Veld." Reno muttered, but started down the stairs. "Don't look at Flip, man…" he warned.

"He trained me. Scary or not, he deserves your respect." He gave Reno a glance and then turned his attention back in front of him. And he heeded to the warning... he really didn't want to know.

Reno, Rude and Elena edged together at the basement. Rude's free hand touched Elena's shoulder and Reno glanced down at her. Meeting Reno's eye Elena patted Rude's shoulder and strode ahead of them after Vincent, eyes focused forward.

With a nod, Reno and Rude followed her, a slight smirk arched at Reno's mouth.

Veld skirted around all the bodies, making his way to where they came in. They'd closed it loosely on their way in should something notice... but Vincent was glaring at the door with a particular brand of annoyance that when Veld was younger, used to scare the everliving shit out of him.

Against his better judgment, he spoke. "So, what seems to be the problem?"

Vincent looked out of him from the corner of his eye. The look that usually was followed by a broken bone if someone spoke again. He tapped the cellar door with a claw.

"Hmm. So they figured us out then." He turned to the other Turks. "We're going to need to break out of this door. Rude, could you be of assistance?" He wasn't so worried about being locked in. They had a big guy and a human weapon in their group.

Rude nodded.

"They boarded us up in here… when Tseng lost it." Elena muttered. "He told us to trust Kefka."

"Kefka?" The name drew a blank on Veld's memory. "He isn't from our world, is he?"

Reno shook his head. "Nothin like I ever seen. He doesn't' need materia to cast spells. He bought Se's heart."

"Then this doesn't sound like someone to trust or take lightly. Sounds like we've got our work cut out for us." He sighed. Funny how people talk about peace in death... and all Veld got was stress.

"They'll go after me." Reno said slowly. "One at a time's how they been doin this."

"Then you won't go out first then, Reno," Veld said, slightly annoyed. Reno did often tend to complain.

"No, actually I am." Reno responded. He pushed in front of Elena. "Buy some time."

He must have missed part of Reno's growing up period. Then again, who knew how long they were alive after he died.

Vincent and Rude shared a look then and threw their shoulders into the door, Rude grunted, but Vincent, true to form, said not a word. Without a second thought Reno sprinted in-between them.

This was going to be messy. Veld wondered briefly where they would go once they died here. Then he stopped thinking about silly things like that.

"Head to the garage!" Reno ordered.

Then new heartless jumped out. These were bipedal, with long fingers and blades sticking out the backs of their broad hands. They slashed at Reno, who was thankfully fast and danced backwards out from in the middle of three of the black monsters.

A piercing laugh drifted down to them, from next to Veld, Vincent looked up. On the rooftop was… a clown?

"Oh shit." Rude muttered. He turned then and headed in another direction.

"That's Kefka!" Elena, grabbed at Veld's arm and pulled once before she turned to follow Rude.

That clown? Gods, and he thought his world was fucked up.

The clown laughed and then spread its hands wide; a ball of fire built up before him and with a flick of his wrist hurtled down at Reno. The red head flipped back but slipped on the ground and fell flat before he rolled into a crouch.

The grating sound of steel on steel made Reno look into the corner. "Se… don't do this man…" Reno swallowed, his voice was pleading, but he seemed to know the cause was lost. He turned and ran in the opposite direction when Tseng leapt out, wearing gloves that gave his hands the same blades as the heartless.

He tore off after Reno without a second thought and the heartless followed them both.

This was most likely going to come down to Vincent, who, despite telling him a week or so ago that he just wanted to sleep, still fought like he used to. Veld figured that Vincent would handle Kefka... that meant Veld had to watch Tseng, who was the second-most threat. Unlike the other heartless, he still had a fair amount of autonomy. He swallowed. Good thing Reno was fast.

Vincent nodded to Veld before he glared up at the clown. Elena and Rude had vanished in the other direction.

Kefka yelled down to them from the rooftop. "Are my new toys confused?" His accent was strange and twisted. "Or are you frozen in fear?"

Frozen in fear? Clearly, this man had never seen Turks.

"Veld." Vincent snapped, oh he was angry. It had been years since he'd seen Vincent this angry. He'd felt the brunt of it then.

"We'll keep the heartless off of you. Go get the laughing bastard." And this Kefka didn't really stand a chance.

_"Playing hero again? Are you HONESTLY that stupid?"  
"Fuck you. At least I care."  
"You can't care if you're dead."_


	6. Chapter Six: Escape

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Six: Escape _

Veld didn't have time to watch Vincent take on this Kefka creature. He could hear Elena and Rude clearing a way to freedom and, more importantly, Reno was still dancing around with Tseng. Veld turned to help Reno.

"Se!" Reno ducked; sparks flew as the knife-tips cut into the alley walls. He jumped again, the front of his shirt getting caught. "Goddamnit, it's Re, listen to me!" Reno's voice was cracking and he was obviously about ready to drop.

Veld had them in range now and took a shot, hoping that Reno had sense enough to use his jumpiness and get the hell out of the way. Veld fired and then he heard a bullet bounce off metal.

_"You're a bad shot, punk."_

"Fuck you, I practiced," Veld muttered before he made another attempt. This time Tseng looked over.

He'd hit something. He smirked.

"Veld, see how they don't listen?" Tseng smirked. He turned back to Reno who scuttled against the wall. "You never listened Reno, I told you..."

Reno glared. "Fuck you, yeah, Flip may not have been the best shot or a good liar, but he didn't deserve that." He backed up along the wall. "None a them did."

"Punishment is for the master to give out, Reno."

"Bullshit, Se." Reno snapped, blue eye narrowing. "You sold yourself out!"

"AND YOU ALL LEFT! I couldn't do it alone!" Tseng screamed back at Reno and lunged.

Reno reached up, grabbing Tseng's wrist and they walked around in a tight circle. Tseng, better rested and fed shoved backwards pitching the red head on his back. Reno rolled to his feet, but didn't make it up in time to stop Tseng from slicing his leg open. "You can't lock people in cages, Se…" It was then that Reno noted Veld, still standing there. "Goddamnit, man, RUN ALREADY." The wrap around Reno's head was almost ready to fall off.

"No, I started this." He leveled a glare at Tseng. "That's poor form Tseng, and you know it. I didn't teach you to be like this." Not intentionally, he added in his mind.

"You told us to stay together…" Tseng tapped the side of his head with a finger; the metal blades glinted in Veld's mako enhanced vision. "You are nothing without your leader." He hissed at Reno.

Reno stood, tottering on his injured leg. "You didn't make me, Se. I'm sorry."

"You will be."

"That's ENOUGH." It was like watching a creepy marionette. Just a parody of the kid he'd trained. No, this wasn't Tseng, really, anymore. So shooting at him meant that he wasn't like... that.

Veld had never tried to kill a Turk before.

He hoped again that Reno had the sense to dodge, though he aimed for the arm farthest from the redhead. He had to disarm, at least, and Tseng's strength lay in those arms.

Tseng's hand jerked, the two shots ripped through his left wrist, leaving the hand hanging. He whirled, eyes wide and glazed, glaring at Veld.

Reno turned on heel and ran, the heartless that had surrounded them roared after him, leaving Tseng and Veld to stand alone.

It was then that Veld drew the second gun, it had taken him so long to figure out how to aim with both hands... and he opened fire. There was no Reno to worry about and he wasn't going to let Tseng try and catch him off guard.

_"He's not going to do anything. Look at him!"_ Veld could remember the blood pooling around their mark's shoes. He could remember the way the man's eyes pleaded at him to just walk away.

Vincent had stared at him. _Blue, his eyes had been blue once._ The red was much more…apt.

_"I'm not killing a helpless man!"  
"Kid..."_Oh, that _tone…_  
_"Don't you fucking threaten me!"  
"Or what, you'll shoot me?"_

"Veld… what are you doing? This is me; you trained me yourself… you made me who I am." Tears worked their way from Tseng's eyes. "I did this for you."

He ignored the tears, that was sad, and pathetic and you weren't supposed to cry. "And you sold your HEART, kid!" This wasn't Tseng, this wasn't Tseng, it was only a puppet of Tseng, it wasn't Tseng...

"It was broken … I wanted to keep us all together." Tseng pleaded. "My family."

_"I didn't have a choice!"  
"Veld."_ Heartless, that bastard never had a heart.  
_"I can't!"  
"Shut up and do it."  
"I won't! You're not god."_

Tseng fell to his knees, broken hand bleeding, blood pooling around his knees.

_"You didn't say anything."  
"I'm waiting for you to do your job."_

This is the second time Veld pulled a gun on a Turk in his whole life. In his whole life…

_"You shot me!" _

_"Look down, brat"_ Veld had been clutching his arm, eyes squeezed shut against the pain. When he opened them he saw that the one shot had been two, crossed under the gun that Vincent had used to shoot Veld in the arm was another, smoking. The dead body at Vincent's feet had a gun in one hand, the hammer back and cocked.

Tseng would kill him, if he didn't kill him first. Only he was dead, wasn't he? Gods, it didn't make sense, he'd been in a lab, and she was there and they were... his heart had stopped. He'd felt it stop and he shot him again. Right? If Tseng would just _die quietly already_.

Then he noticed Tseng had moved his hand to the back of his pants. "If you won't stay with me… I'll make you stay, like I made the others…" He aimed for the head this time. Considering Vincent had shot him clean in between the eyes before, it was a risk. Oh gods, Veld wasn't that bastard... he hadn't quite become him, had he?

The shot went off, and Tseng fell backwards. Veld could feel his heart beating in his chest, threatening to pound out of his ribs.

_"I would have killed you…"  
"Right, kid."  
"I hate you.  
"I know._

"I can't die, Veld…" Tseng sat up, smiling. "See, this way I can make us all stay together… forever…"

He didn't hear the jeep pull up; he just felt two large hands on his shoulder and the next thing he knew he was beside Rude. Reno was bleeding in the front seat and Elena was driving, face tight with concentration.

Veld looked questioningly at Rude when they came to a screeching halt. Rude stood and pointed up. A flash of Green light called Veld's attention.

Orbs exploded around Vincent, who landed in a crouch and glared up at Kefka.

The painted man stopped laughing, and his mouth curled in a sneer. "Where is your heart, monster?"

Vincent's eyes narrowed, he lifted the claw behind him and tensed to lunge.

"It's rare for a body, a will to live to outlast the heart. Your heart must have stopped beating long ago…"

The dark man lunged, and Kefka lifted a hand, fire exploded, hitting Vincent in the chest. The metal claw connected with the rooftop and screamed as he was pushed backwards by the force of the blast. Vincent's feet flew out from under him, off the top of the building and the claw finally caught. His feet hit the side of the building flatly, and then Vincent pushed off, flipping up to the roof again, over Kefka's head. He fired one shot during the motion, landing with his back turned to his target.

"Amazing…" Kefka staggered, covering the hole at the top of his head with his hand. "Amazing, what sorceress made you, how did you become heartless?"

"I never had a heart." Vincent replied.

"I must know the craftsmen."

They stood there for a full five minutes before Kefka leapt from the roof, landing in front of the jeep. Vincent followed, landing between the Turks and the painted man.

"I'll find her, sorceresses can find each other." Kefka was oddly excited about this process.

Vincent was not. "Then go fetch."

A blue lined shadow pooled at their feet. Kefka made a fist then and faster than even Vincent Valentine the shadows consumed both him and Kefka. "Open your mind to me." Kefka ordered.

And then there was a bestial snarl.

Purple, the maw ripped through the shadow like a sheet. A mass of maroon tinged hair followed dark claws and then the creature roared again, an orange light glowed from in its throat. A thick neck curled, and then, it breathed fire.

Kefka screamed. He failed to get the reflect spell in place before the flare hit him full on in the chest. The shadows disappeared in the firelight.

After the fire died, the heartless were gone; the monster's shoulders rose and fell, punctuated by deep, reverberating growls.

"…dear god, what did they do?" Reno asked, eye wide.

It was no secret that the science department took Vincent Valentine. He was the thing of ShinRa legend. The monster that lurked in the basement…but they never really believed that.

It didn't surprise Veld much, though. His very lack of surprise in the matter was almost disappointing. Like he just _knew_ but was being too stubborn and childish to prevent it. But he couldn't have. People didn't prevent what was supposed to happen.

_"You can't choose for someone else, you know."_

The monster sank to the ground and the people in the jeep to stood up to stare down at what was happening. No one moved to check, however, Vincent Valentine got up off the ground. He rolled his head twice, popping his neck and walked around to get into the jeep. Veld moved to sit between Vincent and Rude.

"Drive it like you stole it, Elle." Reno said, looking back worriedly at the dark man.

He could almost laugh at Reno's phrasing. Because he knew how fast that was. He'd driven it. Veld side-glanced over at Vincent. Took down a crazy clown sorceress, or sorcerer, without hardly a sign of tiredness. Yes, this was just how he was. He didn't need to worry. So Veld didn't.

Vincent shook his head again, but remained silent. Rude fixed him with a look that was unreadable. But this was Rude and even his unreadable looks could say more than Reno and Flip over ten rounds at the bar. The thought of Flip was unwelcome.

That was good. They'd get out of this place... he hadn't checked to see if the puppet was gone with the puppeteer. But there was so much wrong in this world it was beyond Veld's capabilities anyway.

"Hopefully there's another friendly town in this godsforsaken place." It wasn't an island, at least. Inland might prove to be better.

"What way?" Elena asked, foot still buried on the gas.

"Just farther inland, if you can. More likely to run into civilization, considering what I saw of the coastline." Delegating these kids didn't make him nervous, even with Vincent around.

She nodded.

"Alright, some of us should get some sleep." Reno muttered as the sun hit the jeep. "Better for some of us to be rested just in case." When did Reno take leadership? How long had Veld been dead?

Was he dead anymore?

"Veld." Vincent's voice brought him out of the fitful sleep he'd been having. His neck ached a bit from his position. Veld's movement woke Rude, who did not flinch overly much from where his head was leaned on his arm. The jeep rumbled to a halt just outside of the town, sliding into a parking area. Running flood lights were all over the place, bright white bulbs shone in the sun.

Elena turned the vehicle off and then poked Reno. "Re?"

The red head didn't move and Elena drew her head back quickly.

"He's lost a lot of blood," Veld noted, and then looked around some more. A figure seemed to be walking along the perimeter. He squinted. "Do you think they're friendly?"

A gun cocked from beside him, Rude lifted his gun and sat back up from checking Reno's pulse. "They better be."

A head popped up beside Vincent. "You look different." It was a girl, or a young woman dressed rather girlishly, in white. She seemed a little out of sorts, like she walked around dreaming instead of waking. Veld nearly jumped.

Red eyes narrowed in annoyance, but Vincent said nothing.

"Hello, can..." Elena looked at Reno and then just kept speaking. "Our friends been hurt badly, he needs a doctor."

The newcomer cocked her head to the side.

Veld cleared his throat. "Do you know of any healers, then?" Doctor wasn't a phrase most of them were familiar with in Hollow's End, he figured it was a standard sort of place.

"He looks sad." She frowned at Reno, but not in a disapproving way. Veld sensed something odd about her, like Iffy, but not quite. This girl certainly was spacey, though.

Elena got out of the jeep and looked down at the girl. Rude had already opened Reno's door. Vincent continued to watch the little person as though he was thinking of ways to kill her.

The figure in the distance was suddenly much less distant, and speeding up fast. Veld drew his gun.

"Oh, don't do that. He'll just yell a bit." She spoke quietly and continued to watch Reno, looking more sad at his state. Entirely. Unhelpful. Veld kept his gun drawn.

Vincent continued to watch the girl, one eyebrow lifted in what was almost question.

Elena bit her lip. "I'm sorry to just have us drop in on you like this..."

"Dammit Pearl!" It was young man, and he had a sword drawn. But instead of looking aggressive, he looked annoyed. And was entirely ignoring the armed Turks around him.

Rude looked over his sunglasses at the young man, gun lifted and focused on the gun.

Vincent, for his part, totally ignored the young man; he still watched the girl, who was apparently named Pearl.

Veld had just about enough of this... silliness. "Alright, who are you, why are you yelling at this young lady and ARE THERE ANY HEALERS AROUND?" He surprised himself at the yelling... he didn't like to yell.

"Veld..." Vincent muttered, barely over a whisper.

The young man glared with intensely blue eyes. And completely ignored him. "Pearl, you need to stop wandering off like that."

"But he's hurt." She looked about to cry.

"We're sorry." Elena repeated, she brushed Reno's hair up, showing his face. "We were...trapped in the town near the beach for almost a month."

Rude simply watched on, looking like he'd break the young man's neck if he had to.

Vincent had yet to look at the swordsman at all.

The young man turned to Elena. "She's going to cry anyway, the ninny, so you don't have to worry about healing."

_They encountered many strange and varied peoples._

"I beg your pardon?" Elena asked, she didn't seem to want to move too far from Reno, and Rude loomed very effectively.

He merely pointed. Clearly Pearl was upset as a couple of tears rolled down her cheeks. She leaned over Reno then, one landed on his face, and the other on his chest.

"He should be feeling better now. Can we go now, Pearl?" What an unpleasant fellow. No wonder she kept running off.

Elena put a hand on her hip. "Just a damned MINUTE. What is going on here?"

Reno's eye blinked twice and he lifted his head from the seat. "Wha-fuck?" He focused on Pearl for a minute. "Who's the girl?"

She smiled. "Hi, I'm Pearl." All signs of being upset were gone, and she'd gone back to her usual dreamlike expression.

"Hey, I'm Reno." He answered and managed a weak smile.

The young man sighed. "I'm Elazul. We're Jumi, and she's a Guardian. She just healed your friend there. I suppose you want an escort into town?"

Rude glared down at the young man.

Elena fell silent and looked at Reno.

The red head nodded. "If ya don't mind. I mean, tha's town ain't it?" He pointed to town. "We can walk less ya need ta sign us in."

Veld was entirely baffled and accepting at the same time. Reno was clearly better and Vincent had watched the girl the entire time. He still did, but not as intensely.

Elazul looked bored and nodded. "Just leave your vehicle, you won't need it. Follow me." Pearl smiled again at Reno before hopping off after him, as he'd already started walking.

Veld sideglanced at Vincent.

Vincent got out of the jeep only after the other three Turks started into town. He looked at Veld as though there was something strange the other man was missing but didn't speak and started to walk after them.

On the way there, which was silent if you didn't count Reno and Rude exchanging glances, Veld started to finally relax. If this was the border guard, or if there was no need of one, then this must have been a pleasant town. And when the buildings came into view, he was correct in his assumption. It reminded him of Kalm or Nibelheim before its most unfortunate burning. Quiet. Quaint.

Pearl kept glancing at Reno, but sometimes her unfocused gaze would land on Vincent.

Reno himself was still limping, though his leg was no longer bleeding. The poor bandage job about his head was all but gone despite his rewrapping, Veld didn't know if he wanted to see the mess left behind.

Vincent watched Pearl, though his expression had moved from "ways to kill" to something else.

Elazul stopped suddenly. "Now you're in town. Go about your business. Come on, Pearl."

Elena spoke up quickly. "Wait, just a moment."

She walked over to Pearl and smiled down at her. "Thank you, we owe you one."

Rude and Reno shared a glance and then nodded.

She blushed. "It's what I do. Take care of the red ones." She skittered behind Elazul.

Elena smiled.

Reno laughed. "Well thanks anyway, Pearl."

Vincent looked around the town, finally no longer paying attention to Pearl.

Veld nodded to Elazul. "Take care of her." The young man smirked.

"It's what I do." He turned and went then, with Pearl almost skipping beside him. Weird kids.

"Well, what shall WE do now then?" He asked once he'd gotten over the oddness.

Elena and Rude looked at each other then to Reno. Wonderful, she was doing the talking without talking thing too.

Reno's eye narrowed, but Elena spoke up anyway. "Reno needs that eye looked at anyway."

"Oh I looked at it alright, when he sat it on the table."

"...Gross, Re." Rude muttered.

"You. Doctor. Now." Elena said, jabbing him in the chest with her finger.

Veld also made a face. "I'm sure there's something like that around here..." Then he stopped. Did he really need to be worrying about these kids? He'd already delayed quite enough waiting on Vincent to stop being stubborn. And he didn't know how long his mentor would tag along before his desire to sleep overwhelmed his momentary benevolence.

If you could call it that, really.

Elena shook her head at Reno who rolled his eye. "Right, look, how's this. We go find a fuckin' doc and you and Valentine look 'round town. Meetcha at the Inn."

Veld nodded. "Sounds fair. I need to check for news anyway."

With that, the three younger Turks walked away, Reno leading and the other two at his shoulders.

Vincent waited behind Veld. No one seemed to pay him much attention. Everyone must have been used to insanity by now. "Well, guess it's time to check if anyone has seen Iffy." Veld muttered more than spoke. Not that seeing Vincent turn into yet another monster had messed with his head any. He was still reeling a bit from Tseng's horrible reflection on himself... guess he'd even failed as a mentor. It wasn't good to get down on himself, but there were three strikes, at least, against him.

Vincent growled, but didn't say anything. Veld didn't have to look at the man to know that he was getting the disapproving look.

"You can lecture me later," he sighed and started towards a building.

"For?"

He stopped. "Well, it's quite obvious I screwed up. Oh never mind, not like you'd care about that anymore anyway."

"Did you?" Vincent asked with that unreadable expression.

"I did." He didn't want to think about it anymore.

"How?" Sometimes Veld wondered if Vincent could ever say a whole paragraph. He talked more than Rude did, to be certain, but there was conversation in the way Rude moved. He was always with Reno, Vincent was different.

"I was too easy on them. I should have been harsher. I should have been you, to be honest." Vincent never had anyone flip out and go crazy. Then again, he'd never had many people to work with at any point considering his usual penalties for... incompetence.

"I fail to see how a person's mental status is your fault." He cast a look behind him to where Reno, Rude and Elena had gone. He then looked back down at Veld.

He blinked. "Well... um... moving forward?"

Vincent said nothing more, only waited for Veld to start walking.

"Heh, alright then. Hmm. If I were Iffy where would I stop..." He began a meandering sort of walk. They weren't trying to cover distance, they were playing hide and seek with a woman that had no sense of place or propriety. It was both fun and irritating about her.

Maybe Veld understood Elazul a little more than he would admit.


	7. Chapter Seven: Rest Stop

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Seven: Rest Stop _

Hours later Veld and Vincent walked into the Inn. It doubled as a bar, a stage was off to one side, and he could see a door marked "Instrument Storage" There was a jute box sitting further up the wall against the bar. The bartender glanced up at them, narrowed his eyes at Vincent a moment before going back to work.

Elena, Rude and Reno were sitting at a table, talking with two other people. Reno's face wasn't as horrible as Veld had thought and the patch over his eyes wasn't what Veld had expected. It stretched under his hairline across his forehead before dipping down to cover his left eye. The rest was obscured into his hair, though under the patch Veld could see three claw marks stretching over Reno's nose. Very strange eye patch…

Though as he looked at the woman they were with, it appeared to be the norm.

He noticed besides her lack of an eye that she was armed with a sword and appeared almost... knightly? The man beside her was in full armor, obscuring everything but his somewhat frown affixed face. He didn't look unhappy, judging by a certain hand position in regards to his woman partner, but more like his face was simply stuck that way.

Veld approached with slight caution.

"Well, Reno, seems like you're fixed up now." Now that Veld got a closer look, the woman was quite pretty. He'd hardly stared for a couple seconds before the man sent him a glare. Taken. Right. Not that he was looking anyway.

Reno inclined his head to two more chairs. "This 'ere is Sir Steiner and General Beatrix. They helped us find a clinc." He tapped the eye patch.

The woman nodded to them both politely. "To be honest, I confused Reno for a friend of mine, the red hair and all."

Vincent did not nod, but he sat himself down in one of the empty chairs.

"General? Pleasure to meet you." Veld was rather awkward around women... if it weren't for her military standing, he would have already knocked something over.

_"Shit!"  
"Oh, I didn't like that vase anyway, Veld."  
"Sorry Ifalna. I... I slipped."  
"Ah ha."_

"You ain't seen no one with my hair color anyplace have ya Veld?" Reno asked, sipping at a beer.

"His name is Blank." The General added.

Sir Steiner made a face. "He's a cad."

"Adel…" She said with a hint of warning. "He's a little… exuberant, but very friendly."

"No, I haven't seen any." Her shirt was distracting. Veld took a seat; there was still room at the table. In the process, he nearly knocked someone's beer over.

Gods, some things never changed.

Rude, the someone who's beer was in danger lifted the mug with a sideways glance.

"Rude? May I see those again?" Beatrix asked, leaning over the table.

Rude nodded and smiled, handing her the sunglasses.

Veld suddenly found the ceiling very interesting. He cleared his throat. "So, anything of note while you kids were getting Reno fixed?" That didn't sound right. He knew it didn't sound right. Damn it all.

Veld could feel Vincent's eyes on him; however he didn't stop looking up till he heard her sit back down.

Beatrix tilted the glasses in her hand. "Amazing…"

Reno took another swig of beer and shrugged. "Well, not much. People been cropping up in this area without a real reason for years. Sometimes people are separated by years and it turns into days."

"…I was searching for my lady for seven long months." Sir Steiner mentioned.

"So this is common? And where were you before you... appeared here?" Where they all just... skipping death?

"It is not, skipping death, really." Steiner responded. He thought for a moment before looking at Beatrix.

She patted his hand. "Think of this as a second chance, because you're alive. You should use it."

Second chance. Odd. Considering that Vincent was here too... he could almost grin about that. They hadn't been as foolish as he'd thought.

Steiner rose then. "I must get to work."

Beatrix stood with him, planting a kiss on his cheek. The man flushed slightly. "Be back after work."

She shook her head when he left. "We run boarder patrols, though this is a peaceful place that the heartless rarely tread." She nodded to Reno. "You are very brave to have lasted so long in the shadow city."

"Lucky's tha word." Reno told her.

She sat again. "We live here in the Inn, it can get fairly rowdy at times, and so having a Paladin or two about keeps down on the fights." Once again she brushed her hair behind her head. "I didn't catch your name?" She asked Vincent.

He simply looked at her for a moment. "Vincent."

Women never fazed Vincent, not like they did to Veld. Well, one did, but that was... he didn't really know what that was. It was fucked up, that's what it was.

She swallowed and nodded.

"General Beatrix has already set us up with a few rooms." Elena chimed in, breaking the silence.

Beatrix smiled then. "Certainly. The first few days are always free here and we can always use extra help with building the city and such. People leave here often, searching for what they lost, but those of us that stay want this place to remain safe."

"That sounds like a good plan." Something good for his kids to do. He'd always wondered what would have happened if they'd guarded Midgar instead of Shinra... things would have been very different.

Elena, Rude and Reno smiled. "So yeah," Reno said. "We're gonna stay around here an help General Beatrix out. Maybe try protecting people instead of what we did before."

The General stood with one hand on her sword. "Enough of that, Reno. This is your second chance, from the look of you; you paid any debts you needed to. I don't want to hear about Turks again." She smiled then, something in challenge. "Unless that is what you see fit to name your unit if I give you one."

Veld smiled despite himself. They had a general that was not crazy. He could feel right leaving his kids here.

Veld stood up. "It's getting late, you said something about a free room or two?"

"Certainly. I was able to get five beds, two rooms. You may stay as long as you like, considering we've got three new knights now, we can be generous." She made a bow to Veld. "Though I was told you were searching someone out."

"Ah.... yes, actually. A woman named Ifalna, any word of her? I spent most of today looking for a clue." He fidgeted.

Beatrix turned and led the way to the rooms, the Turks following her. "Your lady?" She asked Veld. It then occurred to him that she was from a time far removed from his own.

"Ah, in a way, yes. A very good friend of mine. I was told that she was waiting on me somewhere... except I don't know where." He didn't quite like talking about things in such terms, but her time was different and he had to try as best he could.

She smiled knowingly and motioned to two doors that she stood in-between. "The room to the right has three beds and the room to the-"

Vincent Valentine walked into the left room then, closing the door behind him.

"-right." Beatrix shook her head. "Reno, I want to extend again the invitation to you three, the rest of the knights will be down for a bit of a party, it would be wonderful for you to meet them all."

The three considered and even Rude smiled. "Righto, We'll take a nap first though." Then they all saluted her before turning into the other room.

Laughing, Beatrix returned the salute. "They have so much heart, those three… you must be proud."

"I am. They're good kids. Too bad they've had such a rough time." He glanced at the door. "And pardon my associates... demeanor."

"Fallen knights tend to be that way." Beatrix glanced at the door. "Do not feel the need to apologize to me. Obviously something about him is worthy of you taking him on the quest to find your lady." She shrugged. "Though neither of you are heroes now… are you?"

"Never was, to be honest." Maybe he could sit and chat with the nice woman for a while. They could run into another nightmare again, and it wasn't like friendly people appeared everywhere.

"If you'd like to come sit at the bar with me? I'd love to hear about your lady." She paused and adjusted her sword. "The stories from other worlds fascinate me. I'm hoping one day that we can get a librarian to come to us, there is an organizer in Hollow's End, but the shadow town is in the way and he's rather… off-putting."

"Those kinds tend to be that way." Veld sat down at the bar, resting his chin on his hand. He still would most likely knock something over--she _was_ female and attractive--but he didn't feel nearly as nervous.

"I tend to trust my heart in such matters." She waved the bartender over who gave them both large mugs. "I did not listen to it once, and fell." With a shake of her head she returned to normal. "But enough of that, this is a second chance. What do you intend to do when you find your lady?"

"I don't know... apologize, really." Just what _did_ he intend on doing when he found her? She'd told him that she would be waiting, that was enough driving force for him to keep going... but why? Why was it enough?

"Well after that, Veld?" Beatrix took a drink and then turned to face him, leaning on the table. Oddly… feminine and still like a soldier. "Your type… whatever it is, is drawn to her, you're going past death, and this is your second chance for her. So what will you tell her?"

"I don't know. Just 'I'm sorry' I guess and then be on my way unless she wants me to stick around." Oh, he loved her that was for certain. And there had been talk that she'd felt the same but it didn't feel right for some reason.

"Well do you want to be with her?" Beatrix asked, taking another drink.

"She's married." He hadn't touched drink or glass or anything else that would make him look foolish.

_"But... WHY? Why him?"  
"Because it's supposed to happen. And he is a good man."  
"But..."  
"But what, Deyka?"  
"Nevermind. Enjoy your life. I hope you're fucking happy."_

She shook her head. "Love transcends things, Veld. Transcends class, race, even death. It's a matter of the heart, the soul, not the body. And if your body gave out, your heart obviously did not. You sit here before me. So I ask you again, do you want to be with her?"

That was so.... mushy. She might have been a general, but she was certainly a woman too. "...Yes?"

"Then get off your damned ass, suck up that whatever mistakes you made were in another life, stop pretending you are unworthy of her and _tell her_ how you feel for her." She pointed at Veld with a gloved hand.

He blinked. Apparently her world had about the same standards for... propriety. "Uh... yes'm."

"So now, that you're done moping, what will you tell her." She crossed her arms under her chest and fixed him with a look that said she felt he may need assistance in this area.

"Well... I figured I would start with... hi?" He didn't fear women.... alright maybe he did.

She frowned slightly, full lips down-turning on one corner. "Alright, how does she make you feel?"

"Well... better?" The state of her shirt and the state of his brain were not helping matters.

"Don't hold back on words, tell me like you wanted me to feel the same way for her." Beatrix coaxed, seemingly unaware of the reasons for Veld's discomfort.

He sighed. "Like I'm not a failure and I don't have to be anything other than the strange kid that keeps getting scraped up and needs a bandage." He was slightly embarrassed.

She smiled brightly. "That's beautiful. Yes, you need to tell her that, just like that."

He nodded. Maybe he needed to skitter off before she decided that she needed to fix something else with his... mannerisms.

"Don't be so nervous. You don't have to be a hero to go on a quest you know." She switched her empty mug with his own, seeming to know he wasn't going to drink it. "You just have to figure out what archetype you are, and then, what your lady is. It isn't what you want to be, always, you see." She looked to the stairs over his mug. "Perhaps get some rest; you may enjoy the party later."

"Perhaps. Thank you General Beatrix." He got up and made his way back to the room. Vincent probably wasn't asleep yet.

_"You don't sleep much do you?"  
"On guard. Good habit."_

Vincent's eyes were closed, and he was laying there almost as if he were asleep. Maybe that was as close to rest as he would get.


	8. Chapter Eight: Comprehension

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Eight: Comprehension _

It was a dream. Shaky like he was watching it from behind a camera. Midgar, years ago…

…a kid ran by- long hair- for a second the camera held at his face and then he turned, running down another angle. Though he looked behind him, he didn't look afraid, no, he was smirking.

_"You don't know how good you had it, Velly."  
"Don't you CALL me that, I'm not a fucking kid."  
"No, you're a brat."  
"You didn't have my home life."_

Three men had been chasing him, but only one seemed to be going the right way, they split up, they fanned out. In the end, there was one man in the alley, and the boy. The man grabbed the boy's shirt and threw him against the wall. The boy's back collided, he glared.

_"You probably fucked over a good family, didn't you?" ANSWER ME!"_

The man smiled as the boy's hand found his hip, he didn't realize till too late that the boy wasn't obliging…

… he was going for the gun.

_"What do you know about someone beating on you because he had a bad day?"_

"What going to kick my ass again?"

The gun went off and blood splattered over the boy's nose across his blue eyes. He then walked past the "camera" striding down the alley. He found a second man and before any words could be said, pulled the trigger. Then, he walked over the body, looking for the third.

_"You should have left me in Junon, or in Midgar._"  
"You'd be dead then."  
"Better than my arm broken!"  
"You want the other one broke?"

Things faded to black then. _Darkness doesn't mean forgotten. It doesn't mean lost forever. Wandering, maybe. Searching. Looking for the light... isn't the noble task they once thought. It was perilous. Especially while fumbling in the Dark._

A door opened and the room was in focus, dirty, dingy, he could see a rat on the kitchen table and the boy, blood still smeared along his face and hands. The gun was in his jeans. He walked past the kitchen, past the couch. A woman that shared his features sat upon it, she focused on the boy for a second and he glared at her.

A man walked from the kitchen then, tossing the woman a needle. The boy walked up the stairs.

Neither of them mentioned that he was covered in blood.

Black again. _It takes a lot for the heart to die. No one is simply born heartless... but how can a person feel when there is nothing but disappointment?_

_"Get up, Kid."_ It was right in his ear.

_"I said get the fuck up."_

Veld sat up then, the room… had a haze too it, the floor was dark, the windows like stained glass. This voice was not Ifalna's, not Vincent's. _What are you?_

Veld was confused. He felt like he was intruding on someone else's place. Their mind. "What do you mean... what am I?" This voice didn't make sense. He was human? A man? Maybe more of a boy still? He wasn't really a Turk anymore.

The voice was deep, soothing. _Don't you listen when people talk to you? What are you? A hero, no, not a rogue either, really. This is going to be difficult… _

"Does it really matter that? I mean, all this talk... people are individuals, right?" He'd gone off his rocker. Veld was dreaming and talking to a bodiless voice of... something.

_We are all something. Even if we do not want to be._

"Who gave you the authority then?" Veld always had a problem keeping his mouth shut.

_No one needs authority. It simply is._

Veld crossed his arms, though considering he was just a visualization, he found this silly. "Then you tell me."

The room glowed then. A flash. On the desk was a book, against the wall was a cape, the insignia Veld did not know, but he knew it was for a powerful man, on the window was a large pen. Vincent himself was asleep… of course he wouldn't be getting up; this was Veld's dream of insanity. _No, you tell me… what is your weapon and what do you give up?_

Give up? The cape looked quite like something Vincent would use... thus he couldn't take it. But he'd always liked books... maybe that wouldn't hurt?

He walked towards it.

_The reader. The teller, the power of knowing the way of the heart. Are you going to be the Seeker? It can be about choice, to a point. The seeker cannot be alone, they must have a weapon, a defense in place, maybe you should look at the others?_

He stayed his hand. Maybe first impulses weren't good. He turned to the pen instead.

_The writer. The warrior, a knight. The one who writes the stories and leaves his mark in the walls. The warrior is alone, his power depending on his heart. Is this the sort of power you want?_ Then pen flashed, as though it would do something if picked up.

Veld didn't want to depend on others... to some extent, he always had. Maybe it was time to grow up finally and... do something. He picked it up.

The pen morphed in his hand, a sword, heavy and dangerous. _This would make you the one to craft yourself. A power, a weapon to go on alone and make the stories. Are you sure that this is you, or is this what you wish you were?_

It was clumsy and Veld fumbled with it. No, it wasn't about growing up. This simply wasn't him. "Can I look at the other choice?" Not that he figured it would prove fitting.

_Certainly._

Veld put the pen down. But he didn't approach it. It was... dark and foreboding, and really... he turned back to the book. "I want the book. I don't need to waffle over this."

_Then take it._

He grabbed it and cringed.

The book vanished in his hands and suddenly Veld felt like he knew the direction he needed to face. Where he needed to go to find Ifalna. Though, rest would be good. He could go tomorrow, maybe in two days, get himself new clothes.

_You need a weapon._ The voice insisted.

"Where do I find one?" The pen had been a weapon, but... oh that made sense. Yes, he knew there was a reason he wanted Vincent to come along. "Never mind, I know what I'm going to use."

The voice chuckled, a little darkly. _Very well, if you are certain_

"Yes. I am." Weapons had no use if there was nothing to attack. To defend. And even if he could leave at any moment... he would be the lieutenant. That's just how it went. And Iffy? He knew where to find her. Veld _knew_.

_You should get rest, you have dreams to have before you wake_

Veld nodded. Dreams to be had? Well, that was interesting.

_"Don't give me that look, ain't none of your business. What? Look I just gave her some money so she don't get beat up no more. What harm did it do?" _

_"Who's loan?" _

_"What are you talking about? You know what, fuck you, some people care abou-"_ That had been the second broken jaw.

That voice again, the calm one. _Did you always hate him?_

"No. I didn't actually hate him at all. I thought I did. But I was young and strong feelings like hate are a good scapegoat." He hated admitting that. His role model was a complete asshole. But he was his... role model.

And he was talking in his sleep. Great.

_"I'm going to see her, just checking." _

_"..." _

_"I don't care about her, you know that. Ah... what the hell, you know if I didn't show up tomorrow what would you do about it?" _

_"Break your leg." _

_"... oh."_

_Would he have?_ the voice asked.

"Oh, yes. Definitely. He was... is... brutally honest." Oh, the puns.

_Why do you think?_

"Because I was a shit and deserved it. That's why."

And then the black again, he remembered this. The beat up girl, crying to him. Then the guys that came out of nowhere. The ones with about five teeth to share amongst them. "Ya killed Randy."

"He deserved it." There were few times he felt justified killing.

"Oh did he, pretty boy?"

"Who the fuck are you calling pretty?" That was Veld's other problem. That's why he didn't let Iffy fully heal the scar that last time his jaw got broken. He hated having his mother's features.

"Oh, I think you know." The man smiled smiled, showing off the amazing lack of teeth.

The three men walked out then, and suddenly Veld realized how little thought went into going down here to save a hooker.

"See, she owes us a lot of money." The one on the right said. "Lots of coke."

The girl whimpered, but she hadn't said anything about owing them for drugs.

Damn his... she had eyes like his mom's. That's what did Veld in. Junkies, all of them. He didn't blame them but he didn't like it either. "And this is my fucking problem because...?" Veld should have kept his mouth shut.

"I think you owe us." The one on the left smiled in a strange way, the corner of his mouth almost a sneer

"Like hell I do." _Keep your mouth SHUT Veld._

"He's got spunk, don't he?" The middle one laughed.

"Yeah, maybe we should show him better uses for his mouth."

Veld hadn't gotten it right away. He did tend to be on the oblivious side there. He didn't say anything as he tried to make a break for it.

And they chased after him. Oh Veld was fast, he'd always been fast.

_Did you think he'd show up to save you?_

Veld didn't expect. But in all honesty... "Ya, I hoped he would. Cause that meant I wasn't just an annoyance."

Veld remembered turning and running down the alley, shooting behind him. He ducked behind another building and then... they were gone. He must have outrun them.

_They gave up, you think?_ the voice asked

"No, something happened. I never did find out what." Oh, Veld knew what happened to them. Or hoped.

_What happened?_

"Somebody killed them. Obviously."

_I know._

Veld's eyes actually opened then and he felt more than saw that he was alone. He figured as much, and wondered briefly just how long he'd been out.

Vincent wasn't on the bed, the moon shone through the window. No pens, no capes, no books, the carpet was simple, crème colored, not black, there was no stained glass. What a strange dream.

He got up and walked downstairs, the General Beatrix had mentioned a party, and something told Veld that he was supposed to attend. He hoped he wouldn't knock over any more glasses in the process.

But upon notice, the party was over. How late had Veld slept? Looking around the cleaned bar he felt a bit like he was intruding. The chairs were propped up on the tables, ready for whomever would open. The only thing that wasn't ship shape was the door to the instrument room, hanging open.

Veld found it odd that there was in fact an instrument room, but the label on the door proclaimed it as such. He approached quietly.

Music, though it was lacking in the bass tones. Just one hand, the melody was playing. Something classical.

Did Veld know anyone who played piano? He'd had a brief fleeting image of someone he knew playing a piano, maybe his mother, but like most things associated with that life, Veld would put it in the back of his mind. He peered in.

Vincent was leaned over the bench, the claw on his left hand cupping his chin, metal elbow against the wood while his right hand drifted over the keys. Red eyes were closed.

It made Veld slightly uncomfortable. He should probably walk away now, because... this was _human_. And he felt like he was intruding.

All at once the music stopped and Vincent glared at him, sitting up on the bench.

"I... I was just going," Veld stammered out. Shit. Dammit. He was so dead.

Vincent Valentine looked at him for one of those long, painfully intense moments. He then stood up and crossed the room, brushing against Veld's shoulder and walking past him. "General Concept Project." He said with the back of his shoulder against Veld's.

"General... you mean Sephiroth?" Veld had done a fair share of digging after Vincent had died. He knew that project was connected with Sephiroth. And his Turks had just told him that the General had gone crazy.

"You asked, what had happened to me." Vincent said softly, and then he started walking away.

Donor 3-4 a. He'd seen that as a part of the... no way. "I'm... I'm sorry that was you."

Vincent didn't say anything else; he walked through the bar and to the front door. Pushing it open, light washed over him and he scowled. The street lights had yet to turn off. Though Veld could hear birds singing.

"We'll be heading out of here as soon as possible..." he muttered more than said, "Just so you know."

With a side glance at Veld, Vincent started out into the morning, through the doors.

"Or we could go now..." Veld followed him. His Turks were in a good place and he knew where to go.

Veld knew where to go.

Town was bright; the streetlights were not going to go off till the sun was high in the sky. Vincent patted his pocket as if in thought before striding down the street, eyes ahead. They were passing a row of shops when Reno's voice called out for Veld.

Veld turned to the sound and stopped, waiting. He could catch up with Vincent if the man didn't feel like stopping.

The eye-patch looked more in place now; Reno had changed from the Turk suit entirely into a sort of brown and tan uniform that he noted on many other people up this early. Reno smiled and had one hand resting on the pommel of a long sword. "I wanted to know if you wanted one of us to go with you." He glanced over to where Vincent was looking at something in a shop window.

"I appreciate the offer, but you kids enjoy your... second chance. This is the kind of work I think you'll enjoy." He gave Reno a quick pat on the back and started to go again. He wasn't going to waste time if he didn't have to.

"Well this is yer second chance too, man." Reno said, pulling him back with his tone. Funny, he'd been such a loud kid. "Veld, it's been a long ass time since we seen you last and we just worry about you wit that guy." Reno himself didn't look any older than the last time Veld saw him; of course, Veld himself looked twenty five again.

"You don't know him like I do." That was a true statement. Granted, Veld did know some about Vincent Valentine. Enough to understand him just a little. And that was all he'd needed. And he'd made his choice.

Reno paused to consider this, resting his chin in his hand for a second. "Right then. Come back and check in alright?" He dug into his pocket and produced a slender PDA. "I also snagged this for you before I … well, I died."

He looked it over. "What's this?"

"Lucrecia's PDA." Reno smirked, reminding him of the kid that he used to yell at, just a bit.

He had to be fucking kidding-- "You didn't." Scoundrel.

"Two can play her game. Ya know she was fuckin with Se." He turned on heel then, pausing to look over his shoulder. "Get the bitch." With that, Reno strode off in the crowd, blending in with his new wardrobe.

Veld smirked. Time for the next town.


	9. Chapter Nine: The Former

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Nine: The Former_

The walk had been silent. Veld's new information sort of clambered together in his head. Lucriceia was… there was something that would include her now? It bothered him. It bothered him more knowing that Vincent had been a part of the project.

Lucrecia Crescent Hojo. Veld hadn't thought much of her at first. She was too pretty, too smart. Like something was being compensated for. She walked the halls of Shinra like it's own little demi-goddess.

Naturally, she'd honed in on Vincent. People like them were... different. Only, this was after she'd gotten with the good doctor. Everyone knew. Everyone admired and gossiped about it too.

Lucrecia had always been nice to him. A little too nice. It got strange later. Especially after Iffy left. After Tseng screwed up. But that was all the past.

They made their way down the hillside. The underbelly seemed a far bit cleaner than Midgar's had... brighter, in a way. But it was like the difference between Iffy's and Lucrecia's smiles... the brightness was only put on.

The city itself was massive in comparison to the Knight Town of Beatrix and Steiner and totally dwarfed the shadow town and Hollow's End. Vincent hissed a bit as they walked into the floodlights, had it been anyone else, it would have been humorous. But this was Vincent Valentine.

Maybe it did burn.

Veld closed his eyes for a minute. "The kids." He muttered. Yes, he needed to find a place where there were... kids. He didn't know why, but he knew.

People walked by in many different sorts of appearances, people that looked like Garr, people with tails, Veld almost felt as though he stood out more than Vincent.

And Vincent had always stood out.

He smirked a bit, remembering how a room would fall silent when he used to walk in. He'd always taken Veld with him on those sorts of trips, he'd learned a lot listening to business men talk from over ShinRa's shoulder.

There were quite a few bars in this city, though as they walked under the plate -no this was not Midgar- it seemed clean, well lit, well kept.

Armed men in uniforms patrolled lazily. Vincent looked down again at Veld.

Without thinking he responded. "It's this way." And he started walking in the direction he was thinking. Just like he knew what he was doing.

Vincent nodded and continued in the way that he had been going. Veld was feeling much better, he hadn't even looked at Lucrecia's PDA. Vincent opened the door to an inn and a familiar face was behind the bar. A broad forehead and wire-rimmed glasses were framed by blonde hair. He was pouring over a notebook, three little containers of colored tabs at his elbow.

"...Hey, I know you." He said, approaching the man. "You move out of Hollow's End?"

The man jumped slightly and then blinked, adjusting his glasses. "I'm sorry, I don't think that I've met you before young man." He looked at Vincent for a long moment. "No, afraid not. Hollow's End?"

"No, you were the man at the Inn..." Then it occurred to him. The memory blinks. Some people, in order to have a second chance... maybe had to forget the first one.

And Veld opened his eyes.

Professor Hojo. The Professor Hojo. But his hair was blond and the intelligent gleam in his eyes wasn't shadowed. And he had no idea who he was.

"Anyway, what was it that your name was? I'm looking for something…" He frowned and dug in a large satchel for a book. "Or for someone, for someplace to stay at I suppose. There's this fascinating young woman who comes by every day at this time. I don't know why but I love talking to her. She gave me some tabs."

They were all looking for something until they found it. And Lucrecia's PDA was in his pocket. He hoped for this man's sake he wasn't looking for her. "...Fascinating young woman?" Of course, Veld still had his own person to find. And there was something about Iffy that made anyone who talked with her describe her in such a tone.

Hojo nodded his now blond head. "Oh yes, pretty girl too, bright green eyes and very thick brown hair. Has an odd habit of talking about turnips and broccoli. I've already filled three notebooks with what she's said."

"Does she come by often? Where have you seen her?" His tone was urgent and for the moment he had forgotten that Vincent might recognize the man. And the problem that might cause.

Hojo looked closer at Veld for a moment before turning up to look at Vincent. "Have we met?" He asked slowly.

Vincent simply glared at him, face unreadable and body perfectly still.

Veld ran interference. "Maybe I can look at this notebook for a minute?" He didn't know if the great Professor had ever actually talked to Vincent. He'd only seen scientific records and notes. But judging by Vincent's lack of expression, something had gone on.

"Oh this one? Certainly." Hojo held it up, it was adorned with many colored tabs and written all over in cramped handwriting. He then looked up at Vincent. "You have very strange eyes… I could write about you?"

"…I think not." Vincent's voice was not tense, no, it was that calm tone, that relaxed, nearly lilting tone.

"Do you mind helping me read this a bit? Your handwriting is a bit small." Divert. Veld was sure Vincent was alright, but he didn't need the most curious man of the century poking at him. Possibly for the second time.

Hojo frowned. "You could ask her, she'll be around shortly." He adjusted his glasses. "Now that you mention it, you do look familiar. Are you a note-taker too?" Archetypes again? "Or do you just seek?"

"I just... seek." It felt odd saying it, then again, he was based on categories and colored labels. His kind must have been a dime a dozen. Those that looked. Read.

He pulled out yellow labels. "Oh, do you think you could tell me your name?"

At this moment, he could feel Vincent's hand on his shoulder.

"Just Deyka." And he turned to see what Vincent was trying to show him.

The man actually wrote 'Just Deyka' on the notebook, Veld noticed before turning to the door.

Her back was turned to them, brown hair tied up in a thick ponytail. She had a basket with flowers in it. She looked over her shoulder then, smiling brightly.

"....Iffy?" he said quietly, almost inaudible.

The hand at his shoulder clamped down painfully, stopping him from rising. the brown haired woman tilted her head at him for a moment before walking over. In a smooth, almost spacey voice she spoke. "How are you today Professor Forgetful?" It was providence that allowed him to not be near anything breakable. She looked younger, slightly different but... it had to be Iffy. Didn't it?

_"Don't be fooled by appearances.  
"I'm not gullible."  
"Not always."_

So much for the talk with General Beatrix. He couldn't form a coherent thought let alone a word.

Hojo smiled and patted her hand. "I like that name I think… Professor Forgetful…" He took out his pen and wrote it down. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm very well thanks, have you eaten?" She turned then and looked at Veld. "May I sit by you?"

He swallowed and nodded.

"Aeris, I eat every day, how would I be here if I didn't." Hojo smiled then, odd as it was to see him smile.

The girl, 'Aeris' blinked up at Vincent then, who had yet to sit down. "Why don't you sit down? Would you like a cookie? Mrs Kramer made them 3." The final word was almost… intangible. It would be a heart, if Veld looked at it.

_"You know what it means? It's a lovely word, you know... well, I supposed you don't speak dead languages."  
"No, what does it mean?"  
"Flower. Wouldn't it be a nice name for a daughter?"_

And that was it. It was in the shape of her chin and the look in her eyes. This was Iffy and... Gast's daughter. Only partly Iffy herself. He'd almost fooled himself. He breathed.

Vincent did not in fact move to sit down or to accept the cookie that Aeris held in her hand.

"Don't like chocolate?" She asked him.

Hojo reached a hand out and covered her wrist. For a second there was a possessive glint in his eye but he let her go and shook his head. "Aeris, you shouldn't talk to strange men and offer them cookies. You'll make some people angry like that."

"I'll take a cookie, Aeris. He's not too fond of sweets." Since when did he become so genial? Had he been all along?

"But he isn't angry at all." Aeris said to Hojo. "You're just sad, right?"

Vincent's eyes narrowed and he rose from the table, walking to the bar.

Aeris handed Veld a cookie and smiled at him. "I'm sorry you're friends so sad."

Again almost inaudibly. "I'm sorry he is too."

"Now, Aeris, you mind if I talk with you a bit?" Veld had to keep saying her name so he didn't confuse himself. Iffy was just as friendly but only half as spacey... more... knowing.

Hojo frowned and dug in his bag.

"In a moment." Aeris said, turning to Hojo. "What's the matter, Professor Forgetful?" Aeris asked, chewing on her own cookie.

Professor Forgetful was a much better name than Hojo, Veld thought. He pulled out a book and flipped to the orange tab. "I think I am confused upon the meaning of 'sad'."

Aeris tilted her head. "oh?"

"Yes, the tall, scary man looks to me like he is about ready to rip off someone's limbs and beat them to death with them…" He then blinked. "Oh now there's an interesting image." Out came another notebook. "But that's not really 'sad' is it?"

Sometimes it was hard to tell the difference. But Vincent was a dangerous man, and after what Veld had learned, wouldn't take well to this psychological prodding by Professor F--Hojo. Even though Iffy's daughter was the sweetest girl he'd ever met. At least, she had no fear or something. "Um, I hope you don't mind, but my associate" he'd never call him friend so long as he didn't call him that in return "and I have business to attend to. Do you know of... an orphanage nearby?" Kids. Orphanage. Of course.

Aeris frowned, peering at him then. Her eyes were her mother's green. "You need to slow down; it isn't like you aren't expected." She said softly. "Your friend needs someone to look after him anyway, no one should be that sad."

"Aeris, be careful." The Professor warned. "He strikes me as someone who doesn't want to be happy."

She snorted. "Just like a turnip, you. Too much in you and you miss the obvious. Everyone wants to be happy."

She then brightened and grabbed Veld by the wrist. "Oh of course, the orphanage. Mrs and Mr Kramer run it. You should stay a while." She stood. "Let's get your friend."

How was it that they did that same damned knowing thing? He shot a glance over to Vincent that could be read as "oh god help" if interpreted one way and "um, backup?" if another.

The look that Vincent gave Aeris when she walked up to him was one that made grown men weep and cry. Not in any cliché sense either, Veld had honestly seen that look make people break down. She smiled as though any attention at all was good attention. "Let's go, are you hungry?"

Why did Iffy have to have such a... hippie? It was like the anti-Vincent. If they got in enough contact with each other they would annihilate. Meaning she would be annihilated. "Food sounds nice." He swallowed again. Damn, this was uncomfortable.

"No." Vincent said.

Aeris sighed. "Well will you come with us anyway?"

Vincent said nothing and Aeris bit her lower lip. She turned her big eyes up to Veld for a moment. "Alright then. The orphanage is on fourth street, just down the alleyway. Don't be mean to Professor Forgetful."

At the mention of the man Vincent's eyes moved in his direction. Though he didn't move, Vincent was watching the man. With a growl he stood.

Aeris bounced, still holding Veld's wrist. "Wonderful! Mrs and Mr Kramer will love you both."

Vincent flinched.

Veld awkwardly smiled and allowed himself to be led. Thank the gods she'd latched onto his wrist instead of Vincent's. This would have been a very short introduction otherwise.

Vincent glared at her, obviously flipping through his extensive and varied mental catalogue of ways to kill people. The three of them walked out the door, Hojo's eyes never left Vincent and Veld could almost feel them down the block.

"You should get some new clothes and rest a bit, long travel ahead of you." Aeris said, oblivious to the angry assassin behind her.

Veld nodded, keeping track of Vincent by shear will alone. He hadn't thought this out and there would be flipping out and someone would die. And that would be it.

Aeris halted then, right in her tracks in front of Veld and spun about.

He nearly tripped on his feet then. Did she have to stop so suddenly? Or look so much like Iffy that he was having a hard time collecting his thoughts? He wasn't even factoring the brooding weapon nearby.

She giggled and extended her hand. "The Professor is rubbing off on me. Hallo, Deyka, I'm Aeris."

"Please call me Veld." He shifted his weight to shake her hand and stepped on her foot. Dammit.

"I don't like that name as much as Deyka." Aeris said, not mentioning the foot. She then grabbed his hand and shook it. "It's more fitting, Veld sounds too heavy." She then stood in front of Vincent, looking up at him.

Vincent halted, looking down with that unreadable expression.

"What should I call you?" Aeris leaned in, looking up at his face.

The fingers on Vincent's human hand fanned out over the butt of one of his guns. "Vincent." He responded.

She frowned. "Vin, that's not nice at all. I'm trying to be your friend."

He glared at her.

"You should get a change of clothes too, you look scary that way." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Now what do your friends call you?"

"I don't have them." Vincent punctuated every word.

"Well you like, Deyka." She continued, "so don't go off pretending you don't have friends."

Veld turned away. Oh, he couldn't watch. But he did clear his throat.

There was about thirty seconds when nothing happened and then he turned around and Aeris was biting her bottom lip while Vincent walked off in another direction. She looked confused for a moment, as Vincent disappeared into the crowd. "I'll have to ask Mrs Kramer about your friend, Deyka. He's an odd one."

"He's different, yes. Not typically too fond of people." How could someone explain Vincent to Iffy's obliviously hippie daughter? Hopefully they would run into each other again in this city. He could have just taken off for good.

"Well why not?" Aeris asked, she started walking again.

"It's just a fact." He followed her again, a lot less tense now that he didn't fear for her safety. He wasn't a weak and helpless kid anymore, but he certainly couldn't stop Vincent if he wanted to strangle, kill, or maim something.

"Well _why_?" Aeris asked. "No one just is born shut off like that."

"When all you're faced with is disappointing people, it becomes harder to like them." That wasn't even himself talking there. And that was just a dream Veld had, not like he'd straight out been told anything about the man. Nothing except the General Concept Project. The PDA still burned in his pocket.

Aeris looked very sad for a moment. "That's just silly, isn't anyone nice to him?" She asked, biting her lip.

"Oh no, I know that look. You're not going to start off on some... hippie crusade." She was going to get herself into trouble. He _knew_ that look.

_"Oh, did you bring me food?" _

_"No, not for YOU silly. Dr. Gast had been working in the lab for three days straight and he needs nourishment." _

_"Iffy, he's an antisocial scientist with only a love for what he's poking." _

_"If everyone keeps that attitude around him, it's no wonder he acts that way."_

But they were already upon a building that looked like it housed children. He was able to tell because he... well he knew. Again.

"He'll be back, he won't leave you." Aeris said.

"You sound like your mother," he muttered without thinking and he tried to avoid a few toys left on the step.

"That's a good thing." Aeris winked at him. "At least that's what she tells me."

He stopped. "You know where she is?! Is she nearby? When was the last time you talked to her?"

She reached out, cupping his face with her hands and touching her forehead to his. "Shhh, Deyka, she's waiting for you. But you have a lot to do before you get there."

This. Was. Very. Awkward. "Um... do you mind... personal space?"

"I never do." Aeris laughed. "You like to be touched, Deyka, that's what she said."

"Ah, well, this is inappropriate and that's not what I meant and I have no idea where she gets that from..."

She giggled. "It isn't inappropriate to touch people. It keeps you human." She walked around looking. "Mrs Kramer?" She asked, though not loudly.

"You can leave the poor boy alone now, child." He hadn't seen the woman in the doorway a second ago, but then he'd been preoccupied. Dark hair. Dark eyes. She looked as if she had once been greatly troubled, but no longer let it hold sway. This second life had been kind to her.

"I found him." She looked very proud of herself. "But the Dark One didn't want to come along."

She smiled, but it was a small and timid smile. "He'll be around later, as he'll most likely get lost." She turned her gaze on Veld. "I trust she didn't bother you two too much, did she? Her enthusiasm sometimes..." She trailed off and beckoned him inside.

"I don't know that he'll get lost." Aeris muttered. "He's had a dream."

The woman frowned. "I thought I felt the presence of another. Well, let's hope he has as much sense as she said he did." She shuffled a couple of small children out of the hallway as she strode past, barely breaking her stride.

Aeris poked Veld in the side. "Deyka, tell her what you are. She's not all knowing you know."

He nearly jumped. "Oh, um, I keep getting this... something about a Seeker?"

She stopped and turned her head. "Oh, I wasn't worried about you, child. And forgive me for being rude. My name is Edea." She inclined her head then before turning back to face in front of her.

_And they saw that not all magic was for ill, and not all Sorceresses for Evil, as there was still some who understood the Old._

"I'm Veld." He held out his hand awkwardly, like every other action that seemed to happen. He hadn't just bodily regressed, he'd almost regressed more in other ways as well. It was a fair bit annoying.

"Yes, I know. Only she used your first name. I won't embarrass you with it, though." He liked this woman. She was polite.

"What is it, child?" She picked up a few toys. He was reminded of something he'd read briefly about some kind of new fangled psychology... but that was a lifetime ago. Literally.

"I'm going to go get the dark one. The other sorceress…" She looked up, as though she could see. "I'm worried for him."

"Don't be frightened, and you'll be fine. Remember that you are not to fight, though." Warm and scolding at the same time. It made sense that this woman would run an orphanage.

She smiled brightly. "I'm not worried about me." She walked to the door, picking up a toy on her way and sitting it on the shelf. "I'll bring him here."

And with that, Aeris had disappeared. Veld had to process it for a moment before he started walking after her. A hand lightly grasped his shoulder.

"No, you don't need to watch her, she'll be fine."

"But she's..."

"A small girl wearing pink that can beat off drunks with a staff, but not super powerful sorceress and monsters? Yes, I know that too."

"She said you weren't all knowing."

She smiled, still timidly. "I'm not all knowing."

"You should talk with Cid while you're here. I think he would like you. Shall we sit down and wait while Aeris fetches your friend?" She gestured towards a sofa that he hadn't noticed before. In fact, he didn't realize they were in a living room.

He sat down, and looked around. Yes, there were children here. He didn't have much of an opinion on them... they were cute in their own way, he supposed. After Iffy and her husband left Midgar, he hadn't given much thoughts on... family.

"Since you know what you are, would you like to know something about what that is?" She broke through his thoughts gently.

"Um... yes. And maybe about these..."

"Sorceresses?" She laughed. "Oh, we're boring, really. But I'll tell you a story, how's that sound?" She could make him feel seven years old and he didn't feel patronized. Oddly comfortable.

"People are a little like... actors. We have roles, duties, that we play. It keeps the universe steady, calm, ordered. Sometimes people ignore their roles, sometimes... they fulfill them."


	10. Chapter Ten: Sorceress

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Ten: Sorceress_

Vincent frowned, head down as he walked the city. He didn't tend to think, not that he was incapable of it, just that it had never mattered what he thought. He didn't really regret his past; he didn't feel badly for it.

It didn't mean he liked himself at all.

The girl in pink _bothered_ him. Typically if someone bothered Vincent Valentine he killed them and was rid of the bother. And no, Veld had never really bothered him.

_oooooo_

_"The simplest roles we see every day. Mothers, fathers, sons, daughters... these are inherent to the other ones." _

_She paused. _

_"I like to think of myself as more of a mother than a sorceress. Mother is a purer state than that. But not every one is the same as I am." _

_"What do you mean?" He asked. Her face grew grim. _

_"There is shadow."_

_oooooo_

Veld never bothered him, sure he'd mouth off, but there was fight to Veld. Stupidly brave, stupidly naive, stupidly noble, Veld. He'd fallen in love with that Cetra, Ancient, whatever that woman was. Lucrecia had hated her, but she, like Vincent, hated everything.

…no, that wasn't true. Everything just seemed to hate him. That's what bothered him about the girl in pink. With her ugly boots and pushy nature. Why was she so nice to him? People were _not_ nice to him. He didn't know how to react and he couldn't bring himself to kill her.

If he could only figure out why that was, maybe he'd stop being so at a loss with the stupid girl.

He was momentarily wondering if he should return to keep an eye on Veld, but Veld had gotten by with however many years Vincent had been dead without the older man looking over his shoulder. Maybe he grew sense or something; it was a good feeling, at least, to see the kid.

_oooooo_

_"Shadow?" Veld asked, images of Heartless and puppets flashing through his mind. She nodded, as if addressing those very images. _

_"People are not perfect. Sometimes they make mistakes. Terrible mistakes. And they become... consumed. They become their shadow selves. Sometimes, they can recover." She bowed her head. "Sometimes, they do not." _

_"Are you saying... those creatures where once..." He remembered Tseng. _

_"They fulfilled their shadow selves. And became... heartless. But that is only the fully fulfilled that become creatures like that." _

_"And what about, what about other people? They look human and they don't... they don't act right." She looked at him, her eyes no longer averted. _

_"Then all is not lost. But you have to be aware of the sorceresses, Veld, they are different. They are gifted or cursed with power." This lady Edea herself was one. She used the word 'cursed.' Something told him she had a terrible lifetime to tell. But he wouldn't ask._

_oooooo_

His thoughts were once again, interrupted. "Whoever you are following me-" Vincent started, highly agitated "-I would advice you run away quickly or come out and stop slinking about."

"You looked quite occupied; I didn't wish to be rude." A soft voice drifted out. Its owner followed it, looking just as soft and smooth as he sounded. He had on a revealing, rather feminine outfit, a tail curled about from behind him. "We were both well aware of the other, after all."

Vincent's eyes narrowed at the smaller man.

"Not much for conversation, are you?" He thought, tapping a slender finger against a delicate jaw. His tail lashed lazily about like a cat's.

Silence extended out again and the other man frowned. "Would you shake my hand, perhaps?"

"No."

"That mistrustful?"

Vincent merely nodded.

_oooooo_

_"Certain types... like Watchers, do not make much of an impact outside of those that care about them if they fall into shadow. But others... Sorceresses, Heroes... even some of you Seekers... have disastrous results." She closed her eyes. _

_"What do you mean... disastrous?" _

_"Worlds have been destroyed, child. Peoples wiped out. Timelines shifted." Her eyes remained closed. This was close to her, and it was hard to watch. He was glad he had been cast in such an unimportant role. _

_"For you see, a sorceress, and we've come to use this term ever for the men now, the tradition used to be just women, they don't turn into an animal. They retain their own identity, with all the hurt, bitterness, and scorn from their memory. It is a hard balance."_

_oooooo_

The expression on the pretty man's face was best described as a pout. "Now that's just unseemly. Don't you trust anyone?" When he was met with silence, the man let out a long sigh. "No one at all?"

Vincent didn't feel the need to respond yet, he just stood there, waiting.

"I'm Kuja." The man smiled, trying another tactic, he bowed lowly.

Vincent waited till Kuja obviously was not going to move and said "Vincent" quietly. He was getting agitated, he had more important things on his mind and this fellow was not getting to any point.

"Vincent, well then, there is a start." The tail twitched again. "Perhaps you'd like to talk about whatever is troubling you?" He leaned his weight on one hip, placing a hand upon it. "Sometimes a third party glance can be so helpful. Have you lost anything?"

Vincent glared.

"Not looking then… perhaps you're fighting for some just cause?"

Red eyes rolled and Vincent started walking away.

"You're protecting someone then, on some quest you do not understand in a false attempt to find humanity?"

He halted, glancing over his shoulder.

Kuja looked rather proud of himself, his smile only adding to the cat-like image his tail provided. "So that's it, someone is dear to you, but you've left them somewhere?" He walked forward, closing the distance between himself and Vincent. "Or perhaps you do not matter to what you find most important? I can relate to that you know."

_oooooo_

_"That sounds like a hard life. I'm sorry." Veld was quiet, mostly, he tended to be with things he could never fathom. She opened her eyes again. _

_"Well, that's why there are Knights, child. For every Sorceress there is one. Like Cid... don't let him fool you when you meet him. He only seems like a dork." He laughed a little. _

_"Is this the case for everyone?" She nodded. _

_"Why would people be created to be alone? It's madness. Not all have the clean duet that Knights and Sorceresses have... there are legions with Generals and their like. People are drawn to what best compliments them." It made sense, it was ordered. He'd seen enough of the world to not attribute it all to chance. Though he was hardly fatalist... people were nudged. He could believe that. _

_"But, this is a peril, when the shadow is involved. They are always drawn to what.... what they can't have."_

_oooooo_

"That's it, isn't it?" Kuja asked, still beaming.

Vincent turned back around, clenching his jaw.

"You're tense. It isn't healthy. Why chase about after people that dislike you so much? Anyone can see it's wearing on you."

Before facing Kuja fully, Vincent took a breath and rested his hand on one of his guns. "I don't do anything I don't wish to."

"So why are you obligated then?" Kuja asked.

In response Vincent turned away cape twirling at his ankles.

_oooooo_

_"Isn't that the case with people in general?" Oh, he knew that syndrome. _

_Edea smoothed her skirt. "You have to be careful with your friend there. The shadow... it doesn't actually have him yet. But he's still not what he's supposed to be. I would not want to see a heartless sorceress or the like get a hold of him." _

_"He's fine. Really. Maybe he'll wander off one day without a word, I kind of expect it. But it's not like... he's evil." An asshole, a monster, but not evil. That was reserved for things even Vincent would not stoop to. _

_"Well, Aeris should be happening upon him soon enough. She's rather quick when she wants to be." Veld liked it here. It was like Midgar, but right. Funny how that worked out._

_oooooo_

"Now don't walk away from me, you'll regret that." Kuja's tone was all at once icy.

Vincent ignored him, continuing to walk.

"Now Vincent, we could have something beautiful."

He halted, that phrase ringing something in the back of his head.

_"Oh come on, I need a good lay, no one will know…" Her hand on his leg, so bold, no one was that bold with him. _

_"You're married." _

_"You don't care, and neither do I, we could have something beautiful."_

Kuja yelped, cupping his hand to his face, blood from the bullet bite seeping over his fingers. His eyes narrowed and his hissed, tail puffed out and rigid. "You'll regret that. Act like that; it's no wonder no one can stand you." In a flash of light he was gone.

"Good shot." Aeris' voice called out to him.

He looked at her and rolled his eyes.

"You want to come have dinner?"

"No."

She reached out then, grabbing one golden finger. "Please, don't be this way."

Vincent yanked the hand back, and she hissed. The action had cut her palm open. He glared at her, a look reserved usually for when Veld tried to get too close to him.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Aeris said softly, untying her hair ribbon and wrapping it around her palm.

Vincent blinked, literally back stepping. No one had ever told him that before.

_"Doesn't anything hurt you?"  
"Not really."  
"How about this… oh, you like that huh?"_

Vincent shook his head. "You aren't capable of hurting me."

Aeris used her teeth to tighten the ribbon around her palm and reached her hand out again for his. "Well of course I can, you're just afraid. It's alright to be afraid." Her hand extended between them, pink ribbon getting red.

He glared at her for a few moments and she finally walked forward and grabbed his human arm and started walking. He yanked his arm free then, but followed her as she walked back to the orphanage. Stupidly brave…


	11. Chapter Eleven: Past Lives

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Eleven: Past Lives_

Edea had since gotten up from the sofa, breaking up a fight and starting on dinner. Veld had offered to help, but she turned him down with an incline of her head and another timid smile. So he sat, trying to ignore the electronic device in his pocket.

The door opened then, and a soft voice carried into the room. "It smells lovely, honey." An older man walked into view, glasses perched on his nose and a rounding figure. Time had been kind to him, he looked healthy and pleasant. He turned to Veld on the couch and tilted his head. "Did Aeris find another stray then?" He adjusted his glasses.

"Just passing through, I knew her mother. I'm Veld." He didn't seem the type to have Edea's unnatural clairvoyance, so Veld would give him the details.

He walked over and extended a hand, prompting Veld to stand. "So you are Ifalna's Seeker. She spoke of you, I am Cid Kramer." He looked around as though he was expecting some other people to be in the room.

"Nice to meet you." He shook the man's hand. He looked more a scholar than what he would think of a Knight looking like... but he guessed that he most likely didn't look much like a Seeker.

"Where is Aeris, honey?" Cid asked, definitely preoccupied. "She shouldn't be alone with Kuja running around."

"She'll be fine, she went to go fetch this boy's friend." She was juggling tasks with an ease... well, it did remind Veld of his mother. But he only had brief glimpses of her.

Cid nodded and walked into the kitchen, his hands finding Edea's waist and hugging her to him. He breathed in her hair as though there was a time long ago when he couldn't hold her and he wanted to savor every moment he could. "So, who is your friend, Veld?" He asked, getting out dishes and stacking them about the table so that people could come by and fill plates. It did not seem, however that they ate at the table.

Edea was flushed slightly, but not in an embarrassed way.

"Ah, his name is Vincent, he's an old... colleague of mine." Evil dictator was not a term for the current company.

This earned Cid's attention. "Is he your friend, or is this something you have to do together?"

Veld frowned. Just what did that mean? "I'm not sure what you're getting at."

He motioned to his wife. "Edea said he was your friend, but you don't speak of him that way. You searched for something to call him." He smiled an old warrior's smile. "I'm well versed in the difference."

"He's not particularly friendly, so it wouldn't be prudent to call us friends." This man was sharp. He could see how he and Edea fit together so well. He was intelligent, she was wise. Like a complete person. It was... inspiring, really.

Cid frowned, computing the information. Before he could say anything however, the door opened.

Aeris appeared, arms looped around Vincent's human arm. The expression on the dark man's face was completely blank; Aeris' hair was down, her ribbon about her hand.

Great, she looked even more like Iffy. He'd better stay away from glassware. Though, he was a fair bit surprised that Vincent actually returned. And why did he always doubt so much?

Cid's eyebrow arched as though he wasn't expecting someone like Vincent in his doorway. "Boys, go clean up for dinner." He commanded gently, a sound directed attention to a group of children that had frozen in place upon Vincent's arrival. "Hello." Cid said.

Edea was setting things on the table and she nodded in Vincent and Aeris's direction. Veld felt out of place again, when he'd just gotten comfortable.

Aeris smiled brightly. "Hallo Mr. Kramer, Mrs. Kramer. I had to fetch Vin." She patted his arm and then let him go and hugged Cid as one would a father. "He scared Kuja away!" She giggled and then plopped down next to Veld. "You didn't tell me he was such a good shot. Clipped that nasty Kuja right in the cheek."

"Kuja?" Veld asked. Edea smiled approvingly, as if she'd already found a spot for him to sleep and what kind of dinosaurs would go on his pajamas.

"The sorceress." Cid responded. "No one to be trifled with, Aeris."

She laughed. "It's alright, Vin was with me." She waved at him. "Come on, Vin, sit down? Deyka's staying for a few days, so you may as well get comfortable."

Vincent's red eyes cast about the room for a moment before he simply moved out of the doorway and to a corner.

Aeris sighed, but the look in Vincent's eyes was borderlining on dangerous and she didn't say anything.

"We'll be out of here as soon as I get through some information. It won't be long." Veld didn't need to reassure Vincent, that wasn't his job, and he'd never felt the need to before. But this was a fairly crowded house and he could swear... no, that man wasn't afraid of anything, it must have been his imagination.

Cid walked out, eyeing Vincent as someone potentially dangerous. "The two of you should rest here for a few days at least. Things have been… hectic lately."

This earned an eyebrow raise from Vincent.

"It seems that Kuja has an interest in many things, and he's a powerful sorceress." Cid responded. "Someone like you could certainly tell that."

Vincent nodded.

Edea cleared her throat. "Dinner's ready." She shot Cid a look before settling down in her seat. Veld sat down shortly after, followed by a few of the kids.

Cid smiled at Edea, following a row of children to the food.

Vincent himself sat down on a chair, not interested in eating. He leaned over, resting his chin in his hand and claw, eyes closed in thought.

_"Hey, some of the other guys were thinking about going out or something, wanna come along Vincent?" _

_"No." _

_"Ok... ah, see ya tomorrow."_

Veld shook his head. "Do you want some corn, Veld?" He almost didn't hear Edea's warm voice. He waved her off; he was suddenly feeling a lot less hungry.

Children were curious creatures, they all walked up and looked at Veld, quite a few had formed a small circle about Vincent, who still seemed deep in thought. Aeris waved them off with her spoon before sitting down on the floor by Vincent's leg.

Red eyes shot open, ignoring the sound of gasping youth Vincent looked down at Aeris as though he thought she was totally insane.

"Oh don't give me that look, you wanted company." She took a big bite of corn and smiled.

Edea almost... smirked. Veld had decided to attempt to eat and nearly choked on a piece of chicken.

She poked him in the leg then, with a fork. "Oh come on, don't you ever smile?"

"Poke me again and I'll break your hand." He warned.

Fabulous. He was going to get Iffy's _daughter_ killed because the weapon he picked happened to despise humanity. Well, he supposed that he'd earned it.

"Aeris, dear, do you mind helping Sally for a bit? She's tired and can't finish her chicken." Edea didn't need to command. She coaxed.

"Sure." Aeris hopped up from the floor and walked into the other room to help the child.

Vincent closed his eyes in thought again, perhaps in an effort to ignore people looking at him.

_"That was interesting." _

_"I don't like people staring at me like that."_

It had been the first full sentence he'd ever really heard from Vincent. They'd spent a week looking over ShinRa's shoulder at board meetings. The orders had simply been to "intimidate" and it was something Vincent did well.

_"Really I would think you were used to it by now? I mean I don't notice things like that. I…ah…" _

_"…"_

The dream he had the night before bothered him again. Who was that other voice, and if everyone had a path, what was Vincent's? Veld rubbed the side of his head. All he seemed to know was where to go, like he was being pulled to Iffy.

But Aeris had said he had something to do here.

He didn't realize how long he sat there, and only realized dinner was over when Edea cleared his plate for him. He'd retreated into his own thoughts for that long? He felt the age he'd been before he died again... he was getting prone to bouts of thinking like that. Just... thinking.

"You and Vincent should get some rest." Cid offered after a moment of silence. "Aeris can take you both to town tomorrow morning for fresh supplies and such."

Vincent stood without any coaxing.

Aeris smiled, but didn't reach out for Vincent. "Come on, I'll show you guys to the spare rooms."

Veld nodded and stood. Maybe he would get a good night's sleep without anything... odd happening.

Vincent closed his door quietly and Aeris checked her hand again while showing Veld his room. "How was your talk with Mrs Kramer?" she asked.

"It was nice and informative" _shadow_ "I feel a little better prepared for things." Liar. He was never prepared for anything.

She flexed the cut before wrapping her hand again. "You've got a good guardian, Deyka. Don't worry so much."

"...Guardian?"

She tilted her head at him. "Of course, what else would Vin be?" She turned Veld's bed down for him. "He's been watching out for you a long time, I thought."

Had he been? Veld was never sure. But this was Ifalna's daughter, looking and sounding like her for the moment... and it was strange. "I guess so."

_"Hey, I heard this mission was pretty dangerous, so I wanted to come and see you or something before heading out." _

_"Oh, don't worry, Deyka. You'll have someone looking out for you."_

It was then Veld realized that he'd slipped into thought again. Aeris had leaned in close to his face. "Deyka?"

He backed up suddenly, nearly tripping on himself. Gods, he was clumsy sometimes.

Aeris giggled, looking very much like her mother. "I asked if you will be alright alone." She cleared her throat. "What have you been thinking about?"

"Oh, I'm fine by myself, I'm used to it. And I was just thinking about nothing." He could imagine it. 'Yes, hi, I'm not sure if you knew this, but I'm the guy your mom dumped so that she could marry your dad and you could be born.' Ridiculous.

She frowned. "You're just like him, you know that?"

"Just like who?" _You're just like your mother when you're not acting spacey and wearing pink._

She walked past him to the door. "Like Vincent. Thinking things you're embarrassed to say." She leaned against the door for a moment. "Goodnight, Deyka." And like that she was gone, the door closed behind her.

...Did that mean Vincent was just as befuddled as he was?

No. She was just seeing things. She was used to people spilling their minds... He flopped onto the bed. Gods, he was tired. And he hadn't done much that day.

He'd opened it. Just a small handy electronic device, carried by most people when he was last part of the real world. A very useful thing for a scientist. And he was staring at it. She probably kept notes in it. And he probably didn't want to know what sort of notes that woman would write.

He'd thought she was friendly, once.

_What is it you are looking for?_ that Voice echoed in his ears.

Veld started, nearly dropping the damned thing. Gods, he was going crazy. Voices in his head and all that.

_I'm not in your head at all, I just, am here._ the voice responded as though it was used to hearing people think or say that.

"Could you try less of the disembodied voice thing? It's hard to know what I'm talking at." Veld still felt batshit insane.

The closet door swung open then, and a figure in a brown hood eased his way out. Tall, with dark skinned hands as the only thing visible.

"Is this better?" The figure asked, not moving.

"Ya, that works." Alright, so this was vaguely creepy. But then... what the hell, it wasn't his decade anyway.

The figure was still as death, and still the voice didn't seem to come from it. "Now, what are you looking for?"

What was he looking for? Oh, right, that. "Answers."

"To?"

"To figure out where we all fucked up I guess." That mouth again. He hadn't been that way in years... authority without any real reason must have bristled him like that.

The voice was silent for a long moment. "Perhaps you were not the one to make the mistake?" Still the figure didn't move away from the closet. "Do not let me stop you, I only wish to guide you a bit, Seeker."

Veld sideglanced the figure. "And exactly who are you to do that? And why?"

The voice was silent, the figure motionless. The hands still held each other and the hooded figure simply looked on at the PDA in Veld's hands.

He blinked. "Or are you just like that? Soaking up knowledge with no other purpose..." The listless void of a Scientist tended to trouble him.

"When you have eternity, knowledge is all you have." The voice supplied.

Great. Epic voodoo talking dramatist. Well, he'd better try this before his courage ran out. "You're welcome to look over my shoulder, I guess."

The figure made no attempt to move, simply stood... or more floated in the doorway, dark hands clenched and face obscured.

He tapped the word that was scratched on the case, Reno certainly had a sense of humor, and it opened. Her password was 'goddess'. It figured.

The main screen was simple enough. Just an address section, schedule, and a few... notes. Yes, that's where he wanted, or didn't want, to go.

_You are afraid?_ The voice didn't sound in the room, but it was the figure's voice.

"Cautious." He clicked on the basic agenda. He stared.

_"Veld... do you mind staying late tonight? I... I don't really want to go home yet."  
"Hey, no problem, I can't leave till you do."  
"Are you sure you don't mind?"  
"I said no problem."_

He didn't know if it was chance or providence or interference from the void they passed through, but the date held his name. Very specifically, it detailed the usual going home procedure. Even some of the 'problems' at home she used to discuss.

Oh, she _was_ clever. Did he look like a sap or something? He wondered sometimes.

_"Would you like dinner?"  
"Oh, no."  
"...Oh..."  
"I don't have time, Lu, I'm sorry."  
"Oh, of course, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so disappointed."_

He could see Reno as he scrolled the later entries. Just usual... diversion tactics. She played them all like fiddles, didn't she? Though, he doubted Reno would give her the kind of attention she wanted. He felt slightly... ill.

_"You didn't show up last night."_

_"Look, I'm not going to wait around like an idiot for you."_

_"Goddamnit, Turk, are you going to say anything or not? You got shot?"  
"Yeah."  
"Oh, that's it, you were babysitting last night?" _

_"Yes."_ That was his dangerous tone, the one that didn't want you to speak again. Before Lucrecia said another word there was a loud sound two bodies slammed against a wall.

It didn't surprise him to see Tseng's name repeated several times in the most recent entries. Tags like "shadow" and "Jenova" came with him. He should have known. He cringed a little to see his name mentioned in conjunction, and Iffy's... gods, no wonder the kid had been so confused. He felt terrible about shooting him like that... but he was going to kill Reno...

_"It is my fault…"  
"Now, that's not totally true, Veld was old."  
"No, he wasn't."  
"Old for a Turk…"  
"…I should have stepped in… I feel like, like there's really nothing left."  
"Oh, honey…don't say that. You know, they have a word for that in Cetrain myth."  
"Cetrain?"  
"Yes, the heartless. If you sell your heart to a sorceress, they will grant your fondest wish."  
"Heh. That's a silly sort of thing to sell."  
"If it's broken, what does it matter?"_

Veld backed up again and took a closer look at Reno. He'd let Tseng down because he was in fact a bad leader. That's what it had boiled down to. But at least Reno had turned out, surprisingly, well.

_"Hey, ya got games on that think yer always poke'n at?"  
"It would be a PDA. And yes, I've got quite a few… games on it."  
"Oh really? See, I sorta like minesweeper."  
"I prefer more physical games."  
"Well, I like role plays too."  
"…oh?"  
"Yeah, I really like a good, hard, random encounter."  
"Do you now?"_

He had to laugh at that kid's gall. Lucrecia never saw it coming; the kid was some kind of natural thief. And he hadn't even been much of a street punk. He had good parents and everything. Poser. Lucky damn bastard.

_Surprised?_ He'd almost forgotten about the voice in the room. _She knew that was what he wanted, you know. It made her horribly angry_

Veld smirked. "I hope it did."

Everyone he ran into seemed to know everything. "Alright." He clicked around some more. Then he found a listing. She was meticulously organized... a few of the titles he knew right off. TURK. Jenova. General Concept. And a few he'd never seen before, even in all his digging.

_What are you looking for now?_

"Project info. Considering my old employment title is in here, I'm a little curious." He tapped on TURK first.

_"He's going to kill you."  
"Who, your lover?"_

_"You shouldn't start talking to me unless you mean to finish, it's rude."  
"Why didn't you leave them alone?"  
"What, the Turks?"_

_"Or your Turk?" _

_"I wish you would have left Deyka alone. People cared for him, is that what it was? Were you jealous that your Turk didn't care for you?" _

_"You're being stupid, forget I asked you to speak."_

It was a progression. The TURK program fed into her other projects. Shinra had known all along. He hadn't been sent there for incompetence, like they'd said... it was a progression. People to sire children, people to be experimented on directly. It had started with Vincent, and it continued on to him, and a couple of his kids... almost like a sort of family legacy. He'd always wondered why Lucrecia never seemed to age the same as them...

That was Jenova. Or why she would purr over Reno. That was Cerberus. She had all sorts of projects, goals, in the back of her mind. And they'd thought that Hojo was the problem, but he was only a part of it. She was piggybacking on his genius, using her clever to make it come together.

And they were all _her_ children too. Always hers.

_let me help you…_and then the room went black and instead of the figure in the brown hood there was the lab… there was Vincent, there was Lucrecia…

"When I get back, Vincent, I'm not going to see you anymore." Lucrecia pulled her skirt back into place, touching the bite mark at her lip.

The dark man snorted.

She pouted, sucking on her slightly swollen lip. "Won't you miss me?"

Vincent shrugged. "Does it matter?"

She smiled then, victorious. "You don't matter." She said sweetly as though she'd confessed her love. "Not anymore."

He looked confused, but didn't say anything.

"I don't need you anymore, for the research." Tucking her hair behind her ear she leaned over, showing off cleavage. "Why do you think I disappear every few months for this project?"

"The… research?"

"Oh, yes, our General Concept Project." She looked so pleased with herself "You're such an… impressive physical specimen."

His eyes narrowed at her. "There were other ways to go about this…" Oh that tone of voice.

"Oh, but Vincent, you're such a good fuck, why would I want to give that up?"

They didn't hear the door open. "Yeah, heavens forbid you fuck your own husband for fun huh?"

She draped over Vincent's shoulder then, purring. "He's a little more of an animal than you are, dear."

The gun lifted then and in the same moment that Vincent threw Lucrecia to the floor, Hojo fired. "Then maybe we should put it down…"

Bang

Veld flinched at the sound of the gun. So... so that's how it was. He'd never figured Vincent to be perfect. That's almost a reason why he looked up to him. Veld didn't look up to gods. He looked up to people. But she... gods, had she expected that from him too?

Was he asleep or was he awake?

_Keep looking._

"For what?" he whispered.

_What you want._ The arms were the only thing that moved on the figure then, opening wide. _Does your opinion change?_

It was still in his hand. He looked down and looked back up at... the person. "There are a great more things we've gotten ourselves into, isn't there?"

_"Why did you do that to Deyka? Were you jealous?"  
"Whatever would I be jealous of a lovesick Turk for?"  
"You cannot be lovesick."  
"No, and I'm better off for it."  
"That's what he'll kill you for though."  
"You're lover isn't going to kill me, Iffy."  
"I never said he was."_

The figure clasped its hands again, the hooded head nodded. _There is a great deal to be done, you cannot just chase fireflies all night, you know. There are other things, you've already set something right, you've given a new purpose to three… _Slowly it drifted back to the closet. _Maybe in the end, I'll meet you in person._ The closet door swung closed then, leaving Veld with the PDA in his hand.

_There was no Shadow within him, but for his companion, the Shadow threatened to breach his long since dormant heart. No battle would be won until they had settled both their scores._


	12. Chapter Twelve: A Hero

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Twelve: A Hero_

Veld woke up with a start. He'd had a normal dream this time, something from when he was younger. A memory, maybe, but mostly... he needed to talk to Vincent. He'd tried to numb himself from what he saw... but being there, so up close to the situation... It was no wonder he'd become what he saw now. He'd want to kill the parts of himself that had clouded his judgment too.

For even if Iffy had gone off and married someone else, he didn't regret a single minute with her. Or anyone that had mattered. A kid like him didn't have much for family, but he'd gotten one anyway. Dysfunctional as hell.

He wanted... Veld wanted Vincent to know he hadn't meant it. Because kids were stupid and sometimes said things they didn't mean. And if he still hated him anyway? At least he'd said it.

Too many skeletons in closets. He couldn't go chasing fireflies with that in his mind.

Funny Veld should think about closets. The door swung open slowly. Two eyes glowed softly out at him, though the figure looked pale at the shoulders, the hands were dark… black, as though the person had on gloves with black blades on the back.

He'd only seen one person using those as of late. Well, Veld should have expected it.

Silent, though Tseng never had made a sound. Reno used to yelp and leap in the air when the Wutain snuck up on him. "You left…" Tseng said, barely above a whisper.

"It was my time, kid." Firearm under pillow? Check. Distance between where he stood and the pillow? Negligible.

"No, you left us for _her_", Tseng hissed. "You loved her more than us… Reno turned against me, Lucrecia told me, told me everyone would leave…" He swayed a bit as he talked, the strange long fingered hands waving before his body.

Veld narrowed his eyes. "You do realize it was her experiment that killed me, right? What sort of _bullshit_ have you been listening to?" He'd gotten a little closer to the gun. Now it was a very negligible distance. He still wanted to maybe talk him out of it... but he had to remind himself it was simply a puppet of Tseng. Tseng himself was dead. And he hadn't gotten a second chance.

"We were supposed to all go together…" Tseng smiled then, white teeth showing up in the darkness. "That's why she sent me to collect them. You were supposed to wait for us." He narrowed his mako- no heartless eyes. "But no, you followed the monster and that crazy woman."

He was looking distinctly less human. "You have to make your own way in life, kid. Then people will follow you. You can't _make_ them." Failure, failure, failure.

"But did you?" For a second it was Tseng again, in that question. The look of someone that followed him politely on missions, asking questions. "You can make people do anything… you can, you just have to know how. Lucrecia taught me that."

"Do you know even half of the things she--" well screw this. He quickly grabbed the gun and made to run out of the room. Not Tseng. Survive, Veld, survive.

Tseng was _fast_ damn fast. He collided with Veld at the door, it came open with a loud sound and the two rolled on the floor. Grabbing at the other man's hands, Veld realized that Tseng wasn't wearing black gloves any longer… his hands were black.

And he was strong. Veld's arms shook with the effort of pushing Tseng up, trying to pitch him off. Then there was a flash of gold. Tseng yelped loudly and was gone, red fluttered across Veld's face. Looking up, he saw Vincent. The other man had kicked Tseng, blackish blood pooled at the tip of one of his gold boots. He stood over Veld for a moment before moving foreword.

Vincent rocked back and forth, like a large cat, the gold claw fanned out.

"Missing your light, monster?" Tseng asked.

Vincent froze for a moment and then there was a loud scream from Aeris' room.

Veld flipped up to his feet, cursing. "I got, Se." Veld didn't want to let something happen to Aeris, not just because she was Ifalna's.

From behind Tseng the door was flung open. For the first time, Veld saw Kuja. He blinked, shocked at the voice coming from the feminine frame. "Hold, STILL, woman."

"I will not! Let me go!" Aeris grabbed at his hair, yanking down and bit at his arms.

Kuja yelped, throwing her roughly into the wall with a curse. He lifted his hand to slap her and a loud shot ripped through the air. Tseng ducked, Turk instincts till intact, Aeris covered her head and Kuja staggered backwards, covering his shoulder. He glared, but before he could grab at Aeris again, Vincent was across the room.

He'd always used his long legs to his every advantage in a fight, Vincent's reach was impressive given his height and his unusual speed wasn't something to take lightly. Kuja didn't bother trying to fight back instead he dodged, proving to have impressive agility of his own. The addition of his tail gave the sorceress the appearance of a primate, albeit a very pretty one.

Vincent's control was amazing, though he missed Kuja with every kick he was able to stop his foot before connecting with any of the doors or walls. Instead he flipped after the sorceress, who always danced just beyond reach. "TSENG!" Kuja ordered. "It's Ifalna!"

Tseng's head snapped around to Aeris, who had yet to get up off the floor. He lunged at her.

Before Veld could do anything, two heartless leapt out at him, grabbing his arms. He snarled, bringing his foot down on one of the heartless' and ripped his arm with the gun free. Jabbing the weapon into the heartless' gut, Veld fired, making the creature explode in green orbs.

The black creatures flooded down the stairs from the roof and suddenly another shot rang out. Cid was in the hallway, two guns smoking in his hands. "Get Aeris, I'll cover."

Tseng was faster than Veld, ignoring the shots from both Veld and Cid he swooped across the room and wrapped his arms around Aeris' waist, hauling her backwards. Veld followed, trusting Cid to keep the heartless away from him while he followed Vincent, Kuja, and Tseng to the roof.

What greeted Veld on the roof was pretty much at the top of his list of unwelcome things to deal with. A silver…

…it was a dragon. Great.

Without a word, Kuja pointed to Vincent, the dragon responded, snapping its jaws out at the dark man. Vincent leapt out of the way, but the creature's mouth caught his cape, flinging him into the air.

Green orbs splattered about his shoulder and looking behind him, Veld saw Cid. He'd replaced one of his guns, though he'd fired… a sword?

Veld didn't have time to question how a gun was a sword; he had Vincent on one end and Aeris on the other. One fending off Tseng and the other was staring down the belly of the beast in a far less than figuratively speaking way.

"Veld!" Cid yelled, throwing one of his handguns over and spinning, cutting a path through the heartless. He actually managed to push his glasses up in the process, looking for all the world, for just a second, like he was simply reading a book.

This man was a different knight than Vincent, yes, Veld was certain he was not a hero, he was a knight. Funny, how he hadn't met any heroes yet…

…why did he think like this at the WORST times?

There was a roar then, the roof itself shook as the dragon's claws ripped through Vincent's cape and dug up the tar and matting of the building. It swung its massive tail around, pitching Vincent to the ground before lunging with its jaws at his chest. Vincent lifted his arms then, catching the top jaw in his claw and the bottom with his human hand, both he and the dragon locked then, growling at each other.

The heartless exploded again, next to him and Veld made a choice. He lifted his weapons and fired at the dragon, clipping its head four times before finally shooting out its eye.

The dragon bellowed, tossing its head from side to side, clawing at its face. It whirled to face Veld for a moment, blinking the remaining eye in anger.

Vincent looked over his shoulder then, what could have been a smile was on his face before he leapt up again. He raked his claw across the dragon's neck, leaving deep red lines in the creature's silver flesh. He landed on the dragon's shoulders, whipping out another gun and firing into the dragon's skull. It flailed again, and both it and Vincent pitched off the roof.

Veld beat down the part of him that was excited to have helped Vincent down and went after Tseng. Tseng, however, seemed to have his hands rather full with Aeris, who had no compunctions with the "I have no fighting method but flailing and biting" school of thought. Her teeth clamped down on his forearm, and he yelped, backhanding her and pitching her to the ground.

Veld's rush forward was halted, however, when Kuja landed in front of him. "Your guardian cannot help you now, Seeker."

"He'll be around." Veld responded before firing.

The sorceress staggered, cupping his hand over his chest and snarling. "Well I see where you get this from." He pointed a hand at Veld then, "but are you like him in body?" The glow started around his wrist, creeping to his palm.

Before he fired however, Cid slashed down, breaking Kuja's concentration. He leapt back, firing at the knight, but Cid used his blade as a shield of shorts and was barely pushed back by the blow.

"I've got him, you get Aeris." Cid responded with a smile. No, he wasn't Vincent's sort of knight at all.

Veld nodded once in thanks before turning to where Tseng was trying to drag a now battered Aeris from the roof. The side of her face was red from where he'd hit her, but that didn't seem to bother her much as she continued to claw at his head, yanking on his hair.

Veld lifted his guns again, firing twice. Tseng released Aeris then, glaring through heartless eyes. "Protecting _her_ from your own children?!" This wasn't Tseng, it was _not_.

Then there was a scream, something far less than human, anguished enough to make everyone on the roof stop and turn.

The laughter was more what made them all walk to the edge of the roof. High then low then rattling about, Veld knew without looking that Vincent had transformed and upon looking he wished that he hadn't.

The dragon was backed up into the alley, its long tail and white wings closed tightly against its body. Its jaw looked slacked and broken, and that had been why it screamed.

"Lords and Aeons…" Kuja swallowed, reminding Veld of his presence.

Before Veld or Cid could do anything, however, the sorceress yelled something and a flash of light blinded Veld. When he blinked his eyes again, Tseng, Aeris and the heartless were gone, Kuja stood next to his dragon, facing whatever the giggling monstrosity Vincent was.

"What are you?" Kuja asked, worry seeped through his voice.

"He he he he he he he …. Gonna play with you, you wanna play?" Oh gods, no, this wasn't a part of Vincent that Veld had seen more than once… bloodlust was not good in a Turk.

He'd been wounded…

_"Shit! DOWN!"_

…someone ratted them out…

_"I fucking said DOWN!" _

_"Goddamnit! Oh… fuck"_

Veld remembered coughing up blood…

_"Alright, you fools wanna play…let's play then."_

There was a reason that Veld wasn't shocked to see Vincent Valentine fight a dragon. But there were more things in Veld's mind than he thought should be there. Why, for instance, had Vincent snapped that one time? What made him do that? Was that monster always a part of him?

…oh gods.

The monster lumbered forward, and then leapt at Kuja, cackling like a lunatic the whole time. The dragon, slid in front, and though the action saved Kuja, it seemed to know this battle was a lost cause.

This creature didn't fight to kill, it bit down on the dragon's neck, ripping out flesh and clawing, still laughing.

The blast from Kuja pitched the monster into a full flip, saving his dragon from any more assaults.

The monster started morphing again, smoking from Kuja's blast. Neither Kuja or the dragon wanted to move forward, however. Vincent rose to his feet, cape in tatters and panting.

Kuja smiled then, placing a foot forward before looking up the roof and sliding backwards. "Amazing…"

Vincent rocked from side to side, the golden claw splayed out.

_"Dear god those guys ran for their fucking lives!" _

_"…" _

_"Vincent?"_

Back then, Veld didn't know how to tell when Vincent was bluffing. He didn't think anything could stop Vincent at that time; the man was like a force of nature.

But this was now, and Vincent was bluffing. He never postured; it wasn't the way he did anything. He always skipped fighting preliminaries, if someone went to bump chests with him; Vincent was already going for their throat.

Kuja remained standing a fair distance from Vincent, beside his dragon that looked like all it wanted was to fly away. Veld was alone on the rooftop save for Cid. Risking a glance around, Veld saw only green orbs remaining on the rooftop, Aeris, Tseng and the heartless were gone.

He turned to Cid then. "He needs help." People didn't bluff if there wasn't something wrong. And it was a fair distance down... but he was twenty-five again, right? What were a few broken bones, really?

Cid nodded, "fire escape." He rushed to the side of the building, moving very quickly for someone of his age.

They reached the ground and then they could hear Kuja talking.

"So, are you going to do any other little ...tricks?"

Vincent growled.

"No? Maybe I could take you with me then? See what else you do?"

He started walking forward then, but halted, looking over his shoulder at Veld and Cid. "Well, here comes the heroes?"

"No hero here, Kuja, you know that." Cid lifted the ... gun, sword, thing that he had then. "I'd leave now."

It was interesting that they hadn't run into any real heroes yet. Weren't there supposed to be zillions of them running around, just like every other type?

"I'm just having a conversation with Vincent, here. No harm in that, is there?" He asked, tail lashing about and reminding Veld of a pissy cat.

"I'd hate to see what an argument is wherever you came from." Veld replied. Yep, still couldn't keep his mouth shut.

There was a short laugh from Vincent and Kuja's mouth twisted in a smile. "This isn't what you lead me to believe it was, Vincent."

"I think that this is quite enough." Another voice echoed down the hallway and Vincent actually looked startled for half a second. White-blue hair and polished armor came into view and the man spoke again. "You have a nasty habit of taking people when they don't wish to be taken, Kuja."

Another man stepped up next to the armored knight looking one... except he was wearing all black and hid half his face in a manner much like Veld had remembered of the old Wutain soldiers.

He had a feeling the cavalry had arrived.

"Rrrrrr" Came a sound behind the darker of the two men. A dog slid in front of them, snarling at Kuja.

With a delicate snarl, Kuja took a sweeping bow in Vincent's direction. "Looking forward to our next meeting, Vincent." And in a flash of light, he and his dragon were gone.

"Thank you, Cecil." Cid smiled fondly, sliding his weapon to his hip. "I'm afraid that Aeris has…" His face looked guilty, pained.

"Don't worry, I'll get her." Cecil responded without a second thought. He turned his gaze over to Vincent, he opened his mouth but didn't say anything, closing it.

Vincent let out a breath of air and sagged against the wall, panting. Red eyes narrowed for a second at Cecil, but then dismissed him in favor of concentrating on standing on his own.

"It is no small thing, to fight a dragon…" Cecil started. "Would you like help?"

"No." Vincent responded, standing up straighter. Upon second glance, he didn't look very well, long claw marks had ripped through his arms and chest and the cape was in tatters.

Cecil inclined his head for a moment, thinking before he turned to Veld and Cid. "I'm Cecil Harvey, a Paladin. This is my friend, Shadow and his dog Interceptor."

Shadow nodded at them, but said nothing. Veld looked worriedly over at Vincent... he was hurt. He wasn't quite used to seeing that.

They both watched as Vincent made his way slowly to stand behind Veld. Cecil nodded as though he'd figured something out. "Perhaps a rest and a regrouping is in order, would you like to come with us to stop Kuja?" He said this easily, as though fighting a sorceress was the same as going out for sandwiches. "You both look a little worse for wear, no offense meant."

The dog's tongue lolled out and it leaned a bit against Shadow, tail thumping.

Shadow scratched behind the dog's ear. "We will be waiting," he said simply, and started walking off. Veld looked after the man confusedly for a moment before glancing back at Vincent. _Behind_ him? This was certainly an odd change of roles.

Cid thought for a moment. "How about the two of you take a shower, Edea can patch you both up, Cecil and I can retrieve you supplies. Do you only use guns, Veld?" He didn't ask Vincent if the other man needed weapons. After all, it was Vincent Valentine.

Cecil nodded in agreement. "Yes, and, at least get you a new suit, you both cannot be comfortable."

"Black." Vincent responded, he didn't sound injured.

"Black suits then?" Cecil asked. Was he usually this calm when planning a war?

Vincent nodded.

"Right, see you then." Cecil himself turned to follow Shadow.

Cid laughed. "There you go, Veld. Get a good look while you can, you may not see another one." He started after the Paladin.

Veld blinked, nodded, looked around... he felt disoriented now that they weren't directly fighting anything. Aeris was gone, but he was particularly disturbed by what the sorceress had said to Tseng. _"She's Ifalna."_ Did that mean this war would lead him to her? And if so... who was holding her?

The two were standing alone for what felt like entirely too long in the alleyway before Veld turned around. Vincent nodded to him. "Good job, kid." He turned then, seeming to agree to take Cid's advice about a shower.

Edea stood in the doorway, one arm around a child's shoulders and the other keeping the door open for Veld and Vincent.

"You go on ahead first," he said to Vincent, giving Edea a half smile.

Vincent started through the doorway, smooth strides once again. He didn't look behind him or nod. Rest would be a good idea, for both of them. He still had that PDA in his pocket, he still had questions, and now he had… whatever Cecil was. The man that planned wars like he was making toast.


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Understanding

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Thirteen: Understanding_

Several hours later, clean and healed, Veld pondered his actions, and the actions of those around him lately. He'd come to a conclusion of sorts about things and decided that Vincent should at least be asked if he wanted to see the contents of the PDA.

Any ill responses to that would be dealt with.

It was getting late, Edea had shooed most of the kids to bed, and she and Cid had long since retired to sleep. Of course, he suspected Vincent was still up.

He cautiously approached the door, as Vincent had gone back to his room already. He cringed and knocked on the door.

There wasn't an answer. But the light was on under the door. He'd been in with Edea for a long time; he had to still be awake.

Veld leaned in close to the crack in the door. "I'm coming in," he said loudly, hoping he wouldn't get shot at or anything. He slowly opened the door.

Vincent was sitting on the floor, one of the boxes of bullets to his side and loaded clips in front of him. He was etching "x" marks into the tips of the bullets with his claw, it would help them explode against their targets. A speed-loader sat next to a clip by his leg. He'd changed into the black suit, though he left his hair long, the red bandanna keeping it from his eyes. He didn't bother to look up at Veld.

"Getting things ready already, I see." They were both back in suits now, and it felt more natural.

Vincent nodded.

"Can I... talk with you for a minute, or are you too busy?" Veld tried not to fidget.

The bullet slipped from Vincent's hand, bouncing on his knee before clinking to the floor and rolling in a half circle under the bed that Vincent had leaned against. Red eyes blinked twice before he looked up at Veld, a black eyebrow arching. Silence stretched out before them for a movement before Vincent picked the bullet up and inclined his head for Veld to come over by him while he continued to work.

He did so, sitting on the floor and making sure to keep a comfortable distance. Veld swallowed.

Vincent finished making his mark and then picked up another. Veld had seen this done thousands of times; he'd done it himself, countless times. If you were going to shoot something and do damage, hatch your bullets; it was one of the first things that Vincent had taught him. Vincent glanced over to Veld as if he expected him to speak.

He took a breath. "So... I read up on the stuff she was going to do with us." Not the best opening statement, but small talk was never a thing with Vincent.

Vincent seemed to mull the information over in his mind before nodding. "Where did you get the information?"

He pulled out the PDA then and held it out. "Well, she kept some stuff on this."

"Anything important?" Vincent asked, wanting a briefing and not giving the PDA a second glance. He fanned out the claw fingers a moment before etching another bullet.

"Oh, the usual mad scientist drill. Create super beings, use psychopaths, blah blah blah. Though, she certainly had a plan for everything." That claw was rather handy in this situation.

Vincent nodded. Etch, replace, pick up, etch replace.

"She had a few Turks picked out. You were first and then me, and Reno, and something about Tseng and heartless... unfortunately I didn't get to everything. Cerberus Project, General Concept... lots of names." He was rambling again.

It was then Veld realized why Vincent was using a speed loader. The claw did not come in handy for everything. Pushing down with the claw he loaded in a bullet. Press, load, press. "What all did you read up on?"

"Mainly that she sure seemed to like monsters. And that she kinda played off of my... stupid attitude in regards to women. It was all a setup, really. Hey, maybe I can load that?" He could be quicker than the loader, he knew it.

Vincent seemed to give the matter thought for a few moments before nodding. He slid the boxes of ammo to Veld followed by the clips. He then nodded, handing the one he was working on over.

Veld half grinned and proceeded to load the clips. He needed to say a few more things, but he enjoyed the silence for a minute. Figured that the night before something that would likely be stupid and dangerous they'd be sitting around loading clips like they hadn't died already or anything.

"Hey listen, I've been thinking. You know when I find her and stuff... what are you going to do?"

Vincent pulled one leg up, foot flat on the floor and one arm leaned over his knee. He thought for a few moments. "Not sure."

"Assuming things go well... you could stick around maybe?" It was a gamble, but he had thought about this.

Sitting up, Vincent turned his head and looked at Veld. He blinked a few times, slowly.

"Alright, it was a bad idea forget I mentioned it," he said quickly and lowly.

"I wasn't expecting the offer..." Vincent said, giving thought to every word before he said them.

Veld couldn't help a slight chuckle. "Why not?"

Something crossed Vincent's face then, it was something like worry. But this was Vincent Valentine. "Considering our relationship?" He said.

"What, the part where you generally kicked my ass or the part where you kept my ass from getting kicked? You make it sound like I hate you or something." It was a really ridiculous thought. He'd thought he'd hated him once, but he was a kid then.

And it had been a long time since Veld had been a kid.

"…you don't?" There wasn't much within Vincent's tone. It was as if he'd been told that the bar wasn't on the corner anymore.

"Why in the hell would you..." _"I hate you and I hope you DIE!"_ "Oh, right, that. Um, I didn't mean it." He focused on the clip in his hand.

Silence again, but it didn't stretch as long as some of them. "I see."

"Ya... sorry. Just, think about it maybe?" There wasn't much left to be loaded, he would probably be going soon. At least he knew. One of those things he had to do. Now all he needed to do was apologize to Iffy and he'd be ready to die again.

He stood then, after a few minutes, walking back to the door. Veld opened it and was halfway out before Vincent spoke up from the floor. "Eh, Velly?"

He slightly ground his teeth at the old nickname. He really didn't like it... it was too silly. "What?"

He looked over his shoulder and caught it. Vincent smiled at him. "Thanks." As soon as he let the word leave his mouth, however, the expression was gone. He started sliding the clips into his holsters, ready to grab when they would leave in the morning.

Veld shook his head and went to his room. Second chances... weird notion


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Reality

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Fourteen: Reality_

Veld flopped down on the bed, feeling strange. He drifted back awake some hours later and kicked off the suit and his shoes. Veld crawled under the covers, oddly since Cecil showed up he felt unworried about Aeris. Maybe he should have been. Considering the situation, he actually felt good.

Everything was dark. Looking down, Veld was at least granted his suit pants for this particular dream. "Thanks, disembodied voice." He said, knowing what was coming.

_You're in a rare mood, this evening._

"Well, sometimes things go well, surprising, huh?" He smirked.

_You've lost Aeris, and you're happy? Strange fellow you can be, Veld._

"Well, we're going to go get her. And Iffy and everything will be better then. I'm not worried." Optimism? Strange.

_Nothing that has transpired today makes you worry?_ The voice was a might incredulous.

"Worry? Well, a little. But we have... we're not going to fail. Or I get to die again. No losing either way."

_Well then, Seeker…_ Four doors appeared then, in front of Veld. _Would you like to see the future? What is going on now, perhaps a view of someone's past?_

"It's never good to look into the future. I'd rather... let it happen. Do I only get to pick one?" Doors? Did this guy really have no hobbies or something?

_Less time being cheeky, perhaps would do you well, Veld._ The voice responded. One of the doors hissed away, he was left with three. _Then what shall you see?_

"Cheeky?" He cleared his throat. "I would like to see how Iffy's doing, but again, I might not want to know. I'm feeling nostalgic." He'd see Iffy soon, and he knew that someone would likely be skewered and worse if any harm had come to her.

_So you do not wish to know how your light is currently, you do not seek the future._ Two doors loomed before him. Veld wondered if this was part of the magic, maybe he had to make doors show up.

"So what's the difference between the two?" Maybe he should have checked up on Iffy. No, indecision was bad.

_One door is your past, the other door is someone else's. Who's past, of course, is up to you._

_There were things they had to face. Both of them._ Iffy's fairytale seemed to spark up at the strangest times.

"Mine." He said it with determination.

_Very well._ The doors seeped together, glowing brightly.

As he walked through the door, Veld felt wet and cold. He looked down at a pair of old sneakers, tattered jeans. He knew that he had on a grey teeshirt. This was something he remembered.

These were people he didn't know. This wasn't his hometown... Junon. Junon was too wet. Moldy. People here smelled of fish and gave him strange looks. Really, he didn't look that different.

Across the street, Veld saw himself, dressed that same way. His younger self was trying to be undaunted by the large city of Junon, and trying to not get stepped on. People walked by him, not seeing him, bumping into him. At one point he jumped aside, dodging a street cart.

Junon was noisy. Junon was big. And he was really damn lost.

"Hey, kid, you want out of the rain?" The woman waved at him from a doorway. A red light shone up above the door. He'd been too naive back then to know what it meant.

"Thanks." He quickly ran over, damn it was cold. Icicle was cold, but it wasn't this type of wet cold.

She smiled at him. "No problem, kiddo. What's a good looking boy like you wandering around this section of town in the rain?" Her eyes appraised him, almost clinically. It was something he wouldn't have missed as an adult. Something he knew to look for now.

"Uh... I got a little disoriented." He hugged his arms close to him.

"Big word, little guy." She tugged at the bottom of his shirt. "You want me to toss this in a drier for you?"

He shrunk back a bit. He never did like people touching him. "No, I can handle it..."

"Hey, I'm jus' tryin' to be nice to you." She said, sounding hurt. "You want me to show you where the drier, is? You're going to get sick if you drip all over my floor like this."

"Sure, I guess." Dripping was something he didn't enjoy doing.

She locked the door behind them, tucking a key in her pocket before walking through a narrow hallway. She pushed open a door and pointed down a set of thin, plain wooden stairs. "Laundry room's down there, kid."

That was the first thing he found odd. Locking the door. But he was a fair bit stupid, and nodded, making his way down the creaky steps.

"I've gotta close this door behind you." The woman called down. "Can't get by otherwise, jus' knock before ya open it, dun want you hittin' no one in the face."

"Alright." Creak. Creak. These were ill used stairs.

Despite the creepy feeling he was starting to get, he saw that the downstairs was in fact a laundry room. Just why did he have to get paranoid all of a sudden anyway?

He found the drier, and tossed his shirt in. The jeans could wait. Being a little on the nosy side, he let his eyes wander a bit. Not a bad place for an unfinished basement.

"What you got again?" It was a man's voice, deep, and it sort of echoed in the piping next to the drier.

"Oh something real sweet, lookin-" he couldn't catch the rest of the woman's sentence.

The man's voice laughed then.

Veld strained to listen better. What were they talking about?

The woman's voice still couldn't totally be made out…

"How old you think?"

"…-ittle bout maybe 14….teeth."

Again the laughter. "So nice teeth, big vocabulary. Run-way?"

"Prolly."

Where they talking about him? And what did his _teeth_ have to do with anything?

"How much you think?" The man's voice asked.

He heard her laughing. "Depends on –" and she faded out again "–at least 10 thou."

Veld's eyes grew wide then. That didn't sound good at all. Holy shit, just where had he gotten himself to?

"You really think he's a vir-" The man grew quiet, no he was moving. Veld could hear heavy footsteps walking above him.

"Wasn't expecting anyone." The woman responded to a question he couldn't hear.

He looked around the room. God, he didn't even know how to fight, what if someone came down here who could? He was seriously wondering what in the hell had prompted him to leave home.

There were a great deal more footsteps then, at least six new people could be heard upstairs. "Eh, wha you doin here in this weather man?"

"Six is dead."

"Wha…shit, who offed him?"

"Fucked if we know, why we came by. Dun want whoever came after him to come here."

The woman's voice piped up then. "Well, good timing-" why did she have to be so insufferably quiet?

The group of men laughed. "Naw, looked like a one guy hit, so we'll just chill out here tonight have a little party or somethin. Someone shows up here he's in for one fuck of a fight." This new man's voice sounded intimidating. Something like he'd seen on his television at home, one of those mobster types that liked to beat people up.

He had a distinct dislike of being beat up. This was really not good. Veld scrambled around, looking for maybe a loose pipe or something.

"So, you said you found a kid?" The meaner one asked.

"She says he looks damn good, probably a run away or something." The first man responded.

"How's he run?"

"I just found him." The woman responded. "I would have called you first to try him out, but he sure looks like he walked off the boy's choir."

This earned a round of laughter.

Veld growled, despite himself. That was low. And he found... a flyswatter? Didn't they keep useful weapon-like things in basements anymore?

The meaner sounding one spoke up again. "Well, I suppose Todd and I could try him out, give you a verdict?"

"Don't bruise him up." The woman ordered. "He came right too me, he may just listen to you."

Two sets of footsteps started back to the basement door.

With only a flyswatter to defend himself with, he took the other most likely option of defense; hiding. There was a small space right under the steps, and flew right into it.

The front door banged open then and he heard the two men that had been near the door fall. The woman screamed, and then was silent. There was a thunder of footsteps then, one gunshot and then the door to the basement broke open.

Three men tumbled down the stairs, the one in the middle was in a suit. The man in the suit was facing the man below him. They crashed to the floor; before the bottom man could do anything the man in the suit threw his elbow to the man's throat. There was a sickening crunch and the suited man kicked to the side, pitching the third man into the air and against the steps.

Veld had been a little shocked at the prospect of the large mean sounding men... but this suited one. He was incredible, in a scary technical sort of way. He almost wondered if making his presence known to this one would be worse.

The man that had been kicked against the stairs wheezed and scrambled to the side. The man in the suit reached under his jacket and jumped back as a gunshot went off. The shot punctured the body of the man who was prone at the bottom of the steps.

The man in the suit stood with his back against the wall, black hair fell into blue eyes as he lifted up two guns. The sounds at the top of the stairs halted. The other man in the basement moved then and the man in the suit pointed one gun and fired. There was a flash and smoke from the silenced gun barrel, but nothing else.

There were now two dead bodies with them in the basement.

If Veld ran, maybe he could make it out. At least, that was the brief semblance of a thought at the time. Granted, it was a really stupid idea now that he looked back on it. But that's what he did; he ran out of his enclosure and made for the stairs.

Before he made the stairs a gloved hand covered his wrist and hauled up and backwards none too gently. He could hear the gunshots go off. Off-balance, Veld was pitched into the wall beside the suited man, who then redrew his second weapon. Looking down, Veld saw a bullet burn in his jeans.

"You fucking shot me!" he shouted at him, not really thinking about the ridiculousness of such a statement.

Of course the man in the suit had not shot him, the man had silent weapons. It was more a statement of the matter at hand...

Blue eyes glared at him for a moment before the man straightened up, back against the wall and guns cocked.

Veld held out the flyswatter menacingly. Or as menacingly as a shirtless skinny fourteen year old with no clue how to look menacing could be. Which wasn't much.

The man's eyes darted up when he heard a voice at the top of the stairs.

"Hey, ain't much a anywhere for ya to go now, buddy."

Blue eyes closed and the suited man listened.

"Shit, yer good, you know that, buddy? Look, anyway… I ain't real keen on dying, and I know you prolly ain't either, right?" After a bout of silence the voice continued. "Hell you wanna keep the kid we got down there? Nice lookin kid, right? Whatever we owe ya he's gotta be at least worth right?"

Veld scowled. He felt like telling the man exactly where he could shove it. And it sure as hell wasn't anywhere on _his_ person.

"Did we get him?" There was a second voice at the top of the stairs.

"Shhh." And a third.

"Hey, you down there, buddy?" Came the first voice.

"Hey," Veld whispered, "You gonna go and do that crazy kung fu shit again?"

"If-" The suited man's voice was smooth and calm, completely nondescript Veld had to lean close to hear him at all. "-you speak again before spoken to, I'll break your jaw."

Veld simply nodded. Considering what he just saw, he didn't doubt the man.

"I think you clipped him."

"Hey, you down there?"

"Yell for the kid, maybe?"

Before they asked anything else, the suited man spun away from the wall, he barely looked before he fired, and the people at the top of the stairs barely got one wild shot off before the silenced guns flashed four times.

While the gun smoke wafted into the air, a body thudded down the steps slowly. The suited man sidestepped slightly just before the body thudded to the ground beside him.

Veld bit back the compulsion to say, 'did you get him?' and instead peered around.

The man replaced his weapons and then turned his gaze fully on Veld for the first time. A black eyebrow arched in question at the flyswatter. "You are?" he asked.

"Oh... uh... Veld." No Fadeyka, that didn't sound cool. And kids used to poke at him about it.

The tall man nodded. He then shrugged off his jacket and held it out between them.

Well, he guessed he'd picked the right side. He grabbed the jacket cautiously. "You... have a name?" Yes, he knew he'd said that his jaw would get broken but it was an _honest question_.

The man stepped _on_ the body with little regard for it and started up the steps. "Move." He ordered down to Veld, pausing to light a cigarette.

He shrugged the jacket on and followed. Veld guessed he was just figure it out later.

_Why did you follow him?_ The voice asked. Looking down, Veld was standing on stained glass, in the first issue of Turk Suit. Navy Blue, he remembered. _He could have done anything he wanted with you, didn't you think about that?_

"That he wouldn't. When the guys suggested things... he made a face. Really slight one, but bad people don't cringe at things like that."

_But really, has he ever been one of the good guys?_ The voice asked and then he was pitched into the old ShinRa building. Before Finn had put plush carpet everywhere, even outside of the science department… it was stained already when Veld first saw it.

Veld watched himself poke around the lab, he had a nasty bruise already against the side of his face and his right hand was wrapped up. It seemed to be the only thing stopping him from picking everything up and peering at it.

_What happened to you?_ the voice asked.

"I mouthed off. I wasn't dead or anything so clearly I didn't go _too_ far." He didn't really see the problem. At least the injuries he sustained training with Vincent had a purpose, unlike the ones he used to have to handle.

Veld could hear voices behind him, something he hadn't noticed before with his attention to whatever it was in that specimen tube.

"So, you have a puppy now?" 'Puppy' was not usually an insult, but oh it was when she said it. "What the hell, this is why you're never around when I want you?"

"Buy a vibrater."

She lifted her hand to smack Vincent then, but he caught her wrist, eyes narrowing.

"Let. Me. Go. Turk." Lucrecia hissed, tugging at her arm.

She lost her balance the next time she yanked at her arm, tottering a bit on the slick tile and her heeled shoes. She smirked slightly; obviously she liked feeling as though she lived dangerously.

"Maybe I could break him in?" She unbuttoned her shirt, just one notch. Though when she met Vincent's eyes she stepped back quickly, so maybe she did feel fear. Maybe not, in the next moment she put a hand on her hip and purred, safely out of arm's reach. "Or would you get jealous?"

Vincent turned on heel then, striding back into the room. He snapped his fingers, drawing Veld's attention. "Move it, Velly."

_She's an interesting character._ the voice surmised. _I thought that she liked you._

"Clearly not." Veld scratched the back of his head, or rather his visual avatar did. So she did like Vincent? Or at least the idea of him... weird.

_Why do you think that is?_

"I don't know, maybe she's... jealous?" Veld laughed a little. Because that was a little on the absurd side.

And then Veld was standing in the corner, he remembered this room. This was the longest watch of anyone's life, to this day Veld thought that. Vincent sat at the desk, his feet propped up and a bowler hat on his head. He hadn't bothered to change out of the outfit he'd worn while following their target.

Sitting at the window was Johan. Vincent was going to kill Johan on this watch. Veld hadn't noticed how Johan's dark hand shook constantly. He didn't see the look of fear in the other man's black eyes. He was slipping, even then, and ShinRa didn't like to cash their losses with Turks, they found other uses for them when their nerves snapped.

"Where's Cassio?" Johan asked, looking over like he half expected Vincent to lunge over the desk and rip out his throat.

Vincent looked at his watch and shook his head.

"Right…look, I don't usually want to second guess you, Valentine…but…" He fumbled about for a cigarette as he spoke. "The kid, he really ain't cut out for this."

"He will be."

"I mean… if you say so…"

Vincent glared at him then.

"F-ferget I mentioned it."

_This person is new..._ the voice mentioned about Johan.

"He wasn't really new. He'd apparently been around a long time before me, but he didn't last too long after I started." Crazy. Snapped. It happened.

_Vincent killed him._

"He messed up badly."

_Reason enough to kill someone?_

"There has to be a reason. He liked killing but he didn't do it in excess." Moderation. Vincent always practiced moderation, even with Lucrecia.

The room faded to black and then came back into focus. Vincent hadn't moved. Cassio was asleep on the bed, brim of a hat over his closed eyes, blond hair jutted out at odd angels.

"I- I – I'm sorry, sir." Johan responded. "I- I – I'll take the shot next time." Johan was whispering, frantic. This was why it had taken so long to get this guy. Johan messed up, he missed and now the target was tipped off. Veld was following, he hadn't been in the room.

Vincent shook his head, drew and fired his weapon without a second thought. Cassio sat bolt upright, even though the weapon had been silenced, he watched Johan's body fall to the floor.

Even though Veld himself was not technically there in any sense of the word, he flinched.

Cassio only looked up at Vincent, he swallowed visibly.

Vincent inclined his head to Johan's body.

Nodding, Cassio got up and began picking the dead man up.

_Were you surprised when you got back to see him dead?_ The voice asked softly.

"Maybe a little, but I shouldn't have been. No, I shouldn't have been." He took a phantom breath. "Is there a point you're getting at yet?"

_Just learning about you, can't a soul be curious?_ The voice chuckled. _Do you know what the older ones called you? What some of the others thought you were? You have a rare… uncuriosity about yourself._

"Well, it's not good to be self-absorbed, I guess." What was so weird about that?

_There is a saying, that one cannot truly know oneself before they know how others see them._

"Well, guess we should try that then?"

_Do you want to, is the question._

"A quick peek couldn't hurt, right?" Indecision. He had to stop that.

The Turk office. Desks scattered about a room that would have been large, plush, had it not been "Turk". Yes, he could safely use that as an adjective- a descriptor. Cassio again, sporting a nasty black eye. At the other desk was a Wutain, not Tseng… Suma, had been his name.

"Where's boss at?" Suma asked, there was no accent when he spoke. In fact, remembering, Suma couldn't speak a lick of Wuatin.

"Bonding with his kid, most likely." Cassio responded, lighting a cigarette.

Suma dug out his own cigarettes, they always smelled like cloves, nothing like what Cassio smoked. Even those smelled lighter than what Vincent would breathe in. "Kid's really his?"

Cassio shrugged. "You gonna ask?"

"Hell no, I don't ask boss shit."

"Me either."

The two lapsed into silence, smoking. "You checked the assignments for next week?" Suma asked, flipping through files.

"Gonna be a bitch of a week, with Johan dead."

"ShinRa's not happy… bout any of this, yanno?" Suma said the name ShinRa with an amount of fear.

To this, however, Cassio laughed. "Yeah, well what the fuck he gonna do about it? You wanna see Finn ShinRa tell Vincent Fucking Valentine what to do?"

"I'd _love_ to see that, to be honest." Suma chuckled. "We're Valentines' Turks. Everyone knows that. Hell, no one asks a question, man. New kid walkin around? Valentine's, someone bites it? Valentine's."

Cassio nodded. "ShinRa asked 'bout the kid you know, didn't trust someone so young." He lit a second cigarette with the butt of his first. "But the boss is the boss, he said it was his kid, I ain't questionin him."

"Fair enough."

And then, just like that, Veld was once again in his boxers standing in the middle of the bedroom.

His kid? That was... hell, if that's what people really thought of him, he really didn't care about the other shit. He didn't need to prove himself; he'd done that. He was Valentine's kid.

That's just how it was.


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Not Waiting

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Fifteen: Not Waiting_

Vincent awoke early, though it wasn't particularly his habit. He never had any habits that he let people in on. He showered, shaved, and threw part of the suit on. After another look in the mirror, Vincent's placid face frowned.

He left the room hurriedly to go downstairs where he smelled food.

Though not particularly hungry, he had nothing better to do. There were children down the stairs already, it seemed as though the whole house was awake. Vincent lingered at the bottom of the stairs, unnoticed for the time being, watching.

Veld was already there, at the table, inelegantly scarfing down breakfast. Edea had an amused expression on her face as she glanced over at him before turning her attention to Vincent.

"You both are such early risers."

Vincent nodded, though he didn't enter the room. A loud bang from the corner of the room drew his attention. It was a kneejerk reaction, he drew his weapon and spun, the hammer back. Two boys blinked at him with wide fearful eyes next to an overturned shelf.

He let a moment pass before he flicked the gun back to a ready position and slid it to his holster.

"Steven, Jonathan, be careful," Edea said almost instinctively before fussing after someone else. Veld was tucking his own gun back in its holster, though notably slower. The boys kept up their staring.

Vincent's red eyes looked from child to child before he turned his back to them. Staring was something he was used to, even as a Turk, he'd been the sort of person to gain attention by walking into a room. Though these children didn't look at him in the way that he was used to. Had he been another person, one could have called him uncomfortable. As it stood, he crossed the room and seated himself in one of the large living room chairs, picking up a newspaper.

They followed him, keeping a respectable distance, and sat down on the floor nearby.

A glance over the paper proved that he was still the center of their rapt attentions. Vincent then ignored them, pouring back over the paper and seemed content to remain like that for days if needed. Cecil and his company wouldn't be there for another few hours.

"Is it real?" a quiet voice nearly squeaked. The skinnier boy seemed to be the source of the phrase.

It took Vincent a moment before he realized that the child had spoken to him. The paper folded in half and he looked over it. After his eyes darted back to the kitchen, he focused on the skinnier child for a long moment. "Is what real?" he asked, not changing his tone from the one he used with adults.

"...The claw." The other boy said.

Vincent's eyes narrowed, and before his look got truly hostile, he flipped the paper back up to hide his face. "Yes." Children, quite obviously, were much braver than adults.

"Cool."

He could feel the small creatures vibrating with energy just in front of him and it was a wonder that they hadn't found something more interesting to do than watch him read his paper. Veld could still be heard, shoveling food down his mouth like a teenage behemoth.

The skinny one started babbling about something, with a few words here and there like, "wicked" and "awesome" sticking out in his ramble. At the end he finished with a "is it sharp? Can I check?"

Once again the paper tipped down and he blinked at the ever approaching children. In response to the question, Vincent pulled out an ad from the paper and held it up. In a smooth, slow, motion he slid the tip of the claw down the center of the paper, cutting it cleanly. He then handed the half of an ad that remained in his hand to the skinny boy and flipped the paper back up so that he could read it.

"Yes, it is sharp." He responded at a short length.

They were silent for a while, as if contemplating what they'd seen. Then some more chattering amongst themselves, sounding a little like chickens.

"So you and your dad get along?" The chubbier kid this time asked. The word "dad" seemed a little unusual to him. Well, it was technically an orphanage.

Vincent's black eyebrow arched up then. The paper dropped so that he could view the chubby child one more time. His wide little eyes were simply curious, and it wasn't too out of the norm for a child to ask about parents. "I beg your pardon?" He responded, still in the tone one would use with an adult, not a scared little boy.

"Well, your dad. That guy." He pointed in to the kitchen where Veld was animatedly explaining something to Edea, who like a lady laughed behind her hand.

"I'm about fifteen years older than that punk." Vincent muttered, realizing that he was now staring at play listings and he'd never much cared for musicals.

"Nuh uh."

_The Caged Bird and the Tom Cat_ did not sound in the least bit interesting, and yet, here he was, reading. He wasn't going to dignify "nuh uh" with a response.

"So you're his dad then?" He spoke with such confidence in the statement, and the other kid rolled his eyes.

It wasn't that simple, of course. "I feel like it, sometimes." He said, obviously giving up on boring the children. They'd made him talk more in this time than he'd spoken for a good few months, at least.

"Cool. Mrs. Kramer says that's good too. You know, family's like..." the chubbier one knitted his eyebrows.

"Right here." The skinny one pointed at his chest. "I know, I listened."

Family was something Vincent was never asked about before. He simply nodded and went back to the paper because he had nothing to say.

"Hey! Edea says that we should go check out the neighborhood a bit before Cecil gets here. You know, cause she ah, knows stuff." Veld looked thirty at the oldest now, which was a little old even for Vincent's approximation of him. But some people never really grew out of parts of their awkward stages. Not here. Not this place.

Vincent didn't make another motion, simply continued reading about the woman who was staring in the mindless production of some horribly romantic musical. The newspaper, however did turn up some information about a gambling club sort of City. The premise reminded him of something…

Veld plucked the paper away. "Come _on_." ,p Vincent's eyes narrowed for a moment, but he rose from his seat and waited for Veld to move.

Which he did. Maybe it was still too early for him to register annoyance. But Veld felt a bit lighter, and he was trying to cover up the fact he was very worried about Aeris. And Ifalna. Curse his imagination.

They'd been wandering for a long while before Vincent snagged another paper off a random table and flipped it to the article about the "Karona" the club town. Using his claw, he cut the article out, and then dumped the rest of the paper into a waste bin. A few more moments passed before he dangled the newly cut item in front of Veld's head.

"What's this? I thought you hated music--" he stopped and properly read it. "Oh. You want to... gamble?"

It was then that Vincent's long legs took him past Veld. "It talks about shadowplanes being near the town. The town is one large, well lit building, in the middle of shadow." He started to head in that direction then, trusting Veld to keep up.

"That sounds kind of creepy." He could keep up. He was still sore about not growing much taller, but he made up for it with quickness of stride.

Vincent halted for a moment and looked over his shoulder. Red eyes scanned the alleyways. They'd need a car or something, and he didn't quite trust the little pests to not follow him.

"I think I found something." Which was an accurate description. That wasn't a car.

Vincent looked down at Veld to see where the younger man had gone.

He pointed. "You think it'll move?"

He walked around the item three times before trying the door. It looked rather like an armor-plated... something or other, complete with an awkward cockpit. He tapped his claw on the control stick and the thing beeped at him. He jumped back and then shrugged at Veld.

"Well, we can use it later, that's for sure. You think Cecil and them would know how to work it?"

"Well, you could just ask me and I could let you borrow it." A woman's voice responded.

Vincent whirled on her, claw raised and then he lowered it.

"Easy, I'm not going to attack you." She extended her hand. "I'm Terra."

Veld could certainly see why Vincent had backed down. She was... really unharmful looking. Kind of cute, actually, in that youngish sort of way. At least he thought so.

She remained there, with her hand extended as though she didn't know WHY she was offering to shake Veld's, just that it was what people did.

He half bowed. Maybe that was more her ritual, then. Just like Edea always put a hand in front of her mouth when she laughed.

"Where you guys headed?" She asked, leaning her hand on one hip.

"Ah... well. I think we're going to this one city, but we're supposed to meet up with Cecil, I think. Right?" Veld wasn't the leader now, really. Though he didn't have to sound awkward about it.

"Cecil is leading a party, we are going to Karona." Vincent responded, still inspecting the craft.

"Ahhh, Cecil may be going to the palace that's beyond Karona. It's rumored that the witch of the shadows lives there, but no one's returned from there. Or no one's said much if they have."

Veld blinked. "You don't think..." He side glanced at Vincent. Oh they were going to have a hell of a time, weren't they?

Terra tilted her head in question, her hand dropping. "Think what?"

"Oh, we're just looking for someone, is all. Seems like we keep running into all sorts of dark things along the way." There was a light and shadow phrase that fit here, appropriately.

Terra nodded. "Then you could always ask the gambler's king in the player's house in Karona. But the witch is the one who's pulling the strings I think."

Vincent simply looked quite ready to be rid of the whole town.

"That sounds like good advice, Terra. Thank you."

She walked up to the craft and poked at the control stick. "The shorter of you should drive, I suppose. It's a long way through the shadowvalley. The towns about it are... complicated."

Veld looked at the craft warily, but was sort of glad he'd get to drive. Vincent's driving scared him a bit. "Complicated?"

"Your past... it has a way of finding you there. It was unpleasant. It's why I came back here."

"Sounds terrible. You have friends here? Because I know some nice people you could probably stay with if you don't."

Terra laughed. "I never really had many friends, but I'm learning to, Edea's hard to not be friendly with. Good luck."

He looked at the crazy machine. "Thanks and... uh... how do you start this?"

She helped him into the cockpit and got his belt fastened. "the green button that says "start"."

Smooth move. "Oh." What was he, digressing?

There was a soft, sisterly smile from him and she patted his head before looking up at Vincent. She seemed to want to say something, then stopped. "Safe trip." She turned quickly and started to walk away.

Vincent was silent simply looking ahead to the forest of darkness they were heading to.

"So you've got some fans back at the orphanage. Kids are funny, huh?" This was something like smalltalk, but he never liked car rides in silence and all that. Really, he did like talking. Maybe just a little.

Vincent looked at him for a half second, his expression a little... uncomfortable? Then he turned from Veld to look out the window.

"Ok... it's fine. They were pestering me too. Kids are like that. Used to want to have a few." Well, if Vincent was going to be quiet, he was just going to keep talking until the threats came out.

He'd gone onto another topic then, before he heard Vincent speak softly. "You'd be good with kids." It was hushed, spoken lowly and slowly, with his head still turned the other way.

"You really think so?" Maybe it was something that you inherited when your own parents didn't live up to what they were supposed to be. Having a shot at it so that you'd do it right. Though, he'd never even told Ifalna about that idea.

Vincent nodded before turning his head to look out the windshield of their odd, lumbering craft.

Then he had a random thought. "I think she likes you."

Vincent looked at Veld as though the other man had said something confusing.

"Edea told me. She's been around Aeris for longer than I have." And he decided to leave it at that. He wasn't a gossipy lady. Just... well, sometimes he had to say things.

"She just wants to fix things that are broken..." Vincent said, leaning back in his chair.

"Sometimes that's not an insult, you know."

Vincent shrugged.

Veld let it slide. "So we're heading into what looks like the outer circle of hell. Great."

This made Vincent's mouth curl up in a smile.

"If you have any relatives around here, let me know so I can put this into turbo mode, alright?" He was referring to the monsters, a bit. He always had such a terrible sense of humor.

The dark man chuckled and removed his guns, starting to double heck them, though he didn't need to.

Yes, this was going to be interesting. Veld just decided to focus on driving for a while. Maybe think about exactly what he planned on doing. What with the end in sight and all that. Though, was it really the end?


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Regression

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Sixteen: Regression _

The machine lumbered just outside of a town where there were just a few streetlights dotting the homes and shops. It seemed like the shadows were common place here. Or at least, that they weren't ferocious

Neutral shadows. That was an interesting concept. But then, nothing was black and white. It never was.

Vincent hopped from the craft, black suit looking more familiar than his costume from before. He pointed the claw out and it caught the neutral light. In the distance, there was a gold colored tower. It looked like that was where they needed to go.

"Well, that's not subtle," Veld muttered. Of course considering the dragons and voices in his sleep, everything was just so... obvious. Go here. Follow that. Find what you're looking for.

"We have to get there..." Vincent mentioned, the town still sat before them.

_Kings build towers so they won't be forgotten. Queens build them because they already are forgotten._

"Well... I guess we just walk in."

Vincent nodded and started down the bridge with Veld. The town itself had an uneasy smell, something rather like Midgar. The road opened into the town, and tall walls split into four different alleyways. Vincent looked over to the right then the left. "Split up." He offered, more than ordered.

"Alright." Veld went right.

And Vincent went left.

Veld figured that by now he would have circled back around and run into Vincent, but he hadn't seen him for some time now. He didn't know quite how much time because he'd figured out that time did strange things here. But he figured it was a long enough time to worry a little.

The alleyways had attained a strange fog, and people were milling about. They looked oddly familiar, and then it struck him. This place looked exactly like sector three, just a little dirtier than he recalled. It was then that a small form came into view. A boy was sitting on a set of steps, ripping his sleeve to wrap up a cut on his hand.

He walked closer, but not too close. Wouldn't want to scare the kid. "You alright?"

The kid glared at him, bright blue eyes from under black hair. "Fell." He stated slowly, wrapping the cut awkwardly with his teeth and free hand.

"It happens. Need any help with that?" Hand injuries were always a pain like that. If Iffy were around... well, it wasn't like he didn't know how to dress a cut.

The boy scooted back, looking distrustful. "Why?"

"Because it's hard to do that one-handed. Trust me, I know. I've tried." Then it occurred to him that a kid in a place like this probably wouldn't like strangers much.

"I asked you what you wanted." The boy responded, but he didn't take his hand away when Veld took it.

Well, I'm looking for a friend of mine. But other than that, nothing. What do you want?" He finished up quickly, as it really was much easier to do when you had two hands. He tied it neatly and efficiently.

"He owe ya money?" The boy asked, standing.

He couldn't help but laugh. "No."

The boy snorted then. "I was supposed ta meet someone, but I forgot."

Veld frowned. "Sorry to hear that." Then he smiled. "You could still help me look, if you want. Unless you have any prior engagements."

"Why are you wearing a suit?" The boy asked, flexing the wounded hand once before he slid it into his pocket.

"Because it's comfortable." That much was the truth, he'd worn one for so long now that it seemed like his second skin. "It also used to be a uniform of mine." Veld didn't know why he added the qualifier. Kid seemed intelligent enough to understand that he was just being friendly.

"You talk a lot." The boy responded. He paused in a crossroad of alleyways. Then he shook his head. "I forgot something important."

"What?" It was ironic that a kid told Veld that he talked a lot. Sounded like something Vincent would say.

The boy shrugged. He opened his mouth and then closed it.

"It's ok. You want to go fetch it and meet me back here? Or do you have a previous engagement after all?"

He looked up at Veld again, tilting his head. "You're really strange. Don't you have something better to do?" He asked, not as if he was annoyed, but as if he really thought that Veld should have something more important to do.

Veld shrugged. "I've got to find my friend, but it's easier with a little help, I guess." Besides, the kid looked like he could use a little company. Like people didn't talk to him much.

The boy nodded. "What's he do usually?"

"Ah... well, he's very into his job. Sort of a cleaner, you could say."

"So maybe he's by the dumpsters or the incinerator." The child deadpanned.

Veld laughed again. "You're quick, kid." He's not working right now. We're looking for another friend of mine, actually. Keep losing people, it seems."

He turned a corner. "Is he in a suit too?"

"Yes."

"So two guys in suits?"

"Sounds like a punchline, I know." He smirked. Iffy used to chide him when he got to telling half-jokes like that. He knew she didn't mean it. Sometimes he'd annoy her on purpose.

"Punchline?"

"Of a joke. Like two moogles and a white mage walk into a bar. That sort of thing."

"Oh." The boy frowned as they turned the corner. "I didn't want to come this way." He said simply.

"You want to go another way?" Heck, this kid probably knew more about where he was going than he did. Logical to let him figure out where they were going.

The boy growled to himself. "Too late, back off, he's trippin." He motioned to a dark man who was walking up to them quickly.

Veld put a hand on his gun but didn't draw it. _Assess the situation._ Don't be hasty.

The boy looked over his shoulder, but halted when a worn voice called out. "I told ya before not to run from me, boy. Pisses me off. Where's yer money."

The boy glared. "Ya took it already, druggie bastard."

"I'm yer father, don't talk to me that way." He staggered though, patting his pockets.

The boy glowered, but was silent.

"Now, where's yer money?"

"You got it already." The boy responded yet again.

The man snorted then and walked away, bumping into the wall a few times on his way down the alley.

_Where is the child in us but in the dark dark places we try to forget?_ He relaxed his hand. "You handled that well, kid." Fathers acting worse than their children... well, Veld was never fond of that. But it was best not to stir up trouble. At least while Vincent was missing.

"There's nothing to handle, he never talks to me unless he wants my money." The boy responded. _When the only time someone talks to you, is when they want something, then your view is going to change._

"Still, I think it was handled well." He didn't really know what to say, after all. What could someone say to that? ,P. There was a pregnant pause. "Thank you." The boy then looked Veld over again. "You're not from here." He said. "Why are you here?"

"Because I'm looking for someone, like I said. Well, other than my friend. He's helping me find her."

"Are you always nice?" The boy asked again, slowly showing his own curiosity.

"Nice? I guess so. I at least try to be polite, if that's what you mean." _So when are you going to stop acting so chivalrous with me and tell me what you really think?_ He'd never really thought of himself as nice. Just not cruel. He'd been executed over that.

"Do you have a father?" The boy was inspecting his hand again.

"Sort of." Kids, when you got down to it, always talked about their parents. Or lack of them. Maybe that was why he appreciated Edea and Cid out of anyone they'd met thus far. They just knew.

"Whaddya mean, sort of?"

"Just that. There's a man that contributed to my existence in this world. And then there's who raised me. Like that."

"Didja like either of em?" The boy kicked a rock and turned another corner. "I kinda hope mine rolls up and dies."

"Ya, I like one." He guessed if he were any other type of adult, he would have chided this boy for wishing his own father dead. But he wasn't. He was only half adult anyway. Just enough to attempt to fix things. Just enough for things to go wrong. But he needn't dwell on that.

The boy thought a while. "Was he nice like you?"

"In his own way, I guess. He didn't really like people that much. I think it won't always be the case."

Silence lasted for three more alleys "I don't like people much either." The boy said softly. "I want them to like me, but they don't, so I quit liking them."

"Well, that's backwards, you know. Besides, that won't always be the case. It can't be." Iffy told him that. When she talked in that strange way and seemed hundreds of years old and made him feel awkward. _There's always a chance that you will do something for someone. And matter._

"How is it backwards?" He asked, pausing and rubbing his chin in thought.

"Responding in kind won't make anyone like you. You can't... do things to make that happen. It just happens. Like lightning or something." Veld always wished he were better at metaphors. Euphemisms, well that was a job thing. Metaphors sounded better.

The boy shrugged. "You're probably right." He then stopped short. "...you know, Veld, you always were right." The boy laughed. "Shit this place is confusing."

He blinked. How did the kid know his name? "What's your name, kid?" Hadn't he asked that already?

"Stupid punk." The kid muttered, striding ahead. "Forget about the gambler king already?"

...No way. But then, he'd seen enough strange things since he'd died than before he had and well, he'd had a pretty strange life. "...Vincent? Why the hell are you thirteen?"

"I don't have a fucking clue." He flexed his human hand twice. "You were too nice to run out to a place like this on your own, Veld." He jammed the hands into his pockets. "I'm going to rip someone's throat out..."

Veld snickered. "Kind of hard to rip someone's throat out like that, scrawny."

Vincent growled. "At least I never tried to defend myself with a flyswatter..."

"It was the only thing I could find!" Even as a kid, Vincent could still point out that he was in fact a fairly harmless person. It was kind of disappointing. _Quit trying to be so cool and just be yourself._

Vincent chuckled, though the usual dry sound was more of a giggle in his 13 year old chest.

"I wish I had a camera. Every time you'd get all loomy and scary I'd pull it out and point out that in fact you were once a scrawny little kid that couldn't brush his hair." As if to make a point, he messed up Vincent's hair. Survival had taught him to dodge away as soon as he'd done it, however.

Though he was lacking the claw, Vincent still raked his left hand in the air. He hissed at Veld, rocked back and forth and then, without warning, Vincent tackled Veld, taking out his legs.

"Hey! NOT FAIR! You're not supposed to be fast, CHICKEN LEGS!"

"This is hardly what waiting looks like, you do realize." Came Cecil's voice.

"Well you're SLOW." A child's voice popped up. A small puppy barked from his arms.

Veld gaped from a position which looked like he was about to give Vincent a wet willy. "Oh hey, Mr. Paladin, sir. It's Vincent's fault. ...Who's the kid?"

"I'm _not_ a kid." The boy snapped. The little dog in his arms barked again, wiggling to be put down.

Vincent, who then realized that he was acting like a human being, sat up and blinked. He stood quickly, brushing his clothes off. "What the hells is going on?"

Veld muttered something like "midget" and brushed himself off as well.

Cecil pinched his nose. "Shadow, I cannot wait till you remember how old you really are..."

"So now that the cavalry is here, what are we doing?"

"Getting me back to my proper age, I hope." Vincent stood next to Veld, crossing his arms over a thin chest.

"Put Interceptor down, Shadow." Cecil ordered.

Shadow obeyed. "Sure thing."

"The closer to heartless someone is the more effected by this town, it's how Kuja protects his keep. Creatures like your friend usually forget themselves here, so he feels safe." Cecil explained. "Come, let us hurry before I box Sha… PUT THAT DOWN!"

Young Shadow snickered, but put an item down on a window before scampering over to look up at Veld. "Yeah hurry up, slow pokes."

Veld didn't like the intonation of 'creature' but Cecil was supposed to be the heroic type. "So they just have to 'remember'? Vincent already knows who I am and all that."

"And I _will_ be boxing Veld's ears as soon as I am able." He scoffed.

"Sure you will, scrawny." Veld smirked.

"This from the kid who crawled in bed with me after I told him to not watch the Freddy Kruger movies."

"I DID NOT."

"Ah huh."

Cecil watched the two for a moment. Then shook his head.

Shadow doubled over laughing. "Wuss."

"I AM NOT A WUSS!" Then Veld realized he was arguing with a small not-child and felt really silly.

"One, two Freddy's coming for you...." Vincent took advantage of his small child's voice while singing the first few bars of the song.

Then the young Shadow blinked, realized he was acting silly and stopped.

It really WAS freaky when he did that. "Cut it out, Vincent."

"Children." Cecil hid his grin quickly. "Can we go?"

"Oh ya." Veld glared at Vincent for a moment before falling into step with Cecil.

A fog rolled up, and then Veld could feel the change. Suddenly, a hand reached out and ruffled his hair. "Punk." He smiled.

"Finally." Cecil responded. He put his hand upon his sword. "Kuja will be full of tricks, we need to be on our guard, considering his recent… infatuations.

Vincent's smile faded.

_When they forgot to remember, they realized where the true danger lay. Be careful, lost ones. The end is in sight._

So maybe it was time to get serious again. Veld was a little disappointed, maybe.


	17. Chapter Seventeen: The Hero and the Seek

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Seventeen: The Hero and the Seeker_

Interceptor ran ahead after they cleared the town, padded feet taking him quickly down the path. A few moments passed before barking could be heard clearly. It was followed by machinegun fire and then yelling.

The men broke into sprints, Vincent's long legs taking him across to the dog first.

Veld hoped it wasn't an army. Not that he was unused to fighting just... that seemed a tad bit excessive. Then, Kuja did seem a little foofy.

"GET IT OFF!!" One man whimpered, throwing his hand ineffectually at the dog as it clamped down on his arm. He had been traveling with four companions, though one lay at Shadow's feet and the other three were quite dead, one lay under Vincent's feet and the other two were slumped together.

"Shadow, do we have to have the "good guys" talk again?" Cecil asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "I mean, seriously.

Shadow pointed to Vincent, eyes clearly stating that "he started it."

"Get it off of me!" The man repeated.

"So you think that Mr. Screamy will tell us how to get into Gambler King's place?" Veld asked, crouching near the dog.

"If he likes his arm." Cecil smirked.

Shadow snapped his fingers and Interceptor let go, wagged his tail and hopped over to sit next to his master.

Vincent poked the man with his foot. The man trembled, refusing to look up at Vincent. "Kuja's palace… he'll be in his office, watching the gamblers…. He's really upset lately. Something about his dragon being killed by a monster or losing some prize. He's not someone you'd want to tangle with."

When Vincent snorted, the man nearly eeped and dug into his pockets. Veld had to smirk at that. Honestly, did the man think that _they_ of all people were going to be worried? He looked up at the palace of Kuja, the Gambler's King and somehow had the feeling that this would all be over soon.

Illusion and deception. That really was what Veld had figured out that this place was all about. They'd gotten in by way of the guards they mugged but it was a dizzying place full of random Moire spinners and Tromp L'Oeil paintings. The Gambler's King liked to fool his guests into false senses of security. And false senses of danger, too.

_Look straight ahead. You won't falter._

He, without a doubt, knew that she was hiding here. Both shes. Opposite aspects like the old gods he'd studied on a whim once. For a moment he doubted his own sense of good and evil, but then he'd looked to the side.

"She's in here, Vincent." Veld muttered more to remember than to let the older man know.

Vincent nodded and looked around. Cecil looked about to warn Vincent of something, and then the dark man lifted his human hand to brush against a rich tapestry. His finger dove into the "fabric" causing water-like ripples.

"That's weird." It was then that he thought of what else was there. He was ignoring the presence of Lucrecia; that was Vincent's problem, though he'd never get on the man's case about that. Kuja, well, he could handle that thing. Tseng? Wasn't even really a person anymore...his head reeled.

Vincent growled then, and slid backwards with his inhuman speed. The wall stopped rippling and oozed away from where it should be, gripping at Vincent in the same manner the heartless had on the beach, back when this whole adventure truly began.

Veld was already shooting at the part that wasn't Vincent on it. He hadn't been without his gun drawn since they'd approached this place.

The wall rippled in what could almost be called an indignant manner and then sunk back to being a proper wall.

"Well... that was... interesting." Cecil muttered, putting his blade away. He looked around the hallways. "What would the best course of action be?"

I'm sure they are aware we are here..." Shadow responded, patting his dog on the head.

"By this point? That'd be some shitty security system if they didn't. Watch out for a woman, if you can. And a girl." Vincent wouldn't hesitate with Lucrecia. Would he?

Cecil nodded. "Perhaps we should divide and con-"

"Oh, but I came to you!" The oddly deep voice responded.

Vincent whirled and snarled low in his chest.

Well, that was one problem landing right in their laps. "Then why don't you come out so we can see you and stop with the fancy tricks?" No, Veld still hadn't learned to keep his mouth shut.

"I'm not interested in you, Seeker. Though the young ladies are eager to see you again." Kuja melted from the wall. "You're not that interesting to me as those who have fallen into darkness..."

Shadow's growl was rather like his dogs.

Veld restrained the urge to roll his eyes and go on a bit of a tirade. "Voyeur," he muttered instead.

Kuja laughed. "Well then, Hero and Seeker, let us make this more interesting, shall we?" With a flick of his tail, the walls began vibrating and, like a tide, they washed over Veld and his companions.

Sometimes he really missed the predictability of the real world with it's real, solid, and adhering to the laws of physics things. So he braced himself.

It was a little anticlimactic, to be honest, he'd expected being washed over with magical darkness would feel like something. Instead he had the uneasy feeling of nothing at all, and was then laying on his back on a cold, stone floor.

"Predictable..." He heard Cecil mutter from somewhere nearby.

"And the point of that was?" He was really starting to like Cecil, the more that he spoke.

"Separate us and otherwise be annoying." Upon opening his eyes, Veld noticed that the knight was without his sword and without the thick armor.

Cecil was inspecting the walls. "Shadow and your companion aren't like us. They have an innate darkness. I suppose some people do and some do not, but Kuja looks for that weakness to make the darkness spread like an illness."

"I don't think it will be a real problem with my friend." And it was then that Veld realized why he'd honestly gotten into so much trouble in his life. It was a kind of faith. He had faith in people, and that didn't fly in certain professions. No wonder Vincent had been so hard on him.

"I've full trust in Shadow, but I do not want to underestimate Kuja at all." He frowned and thumped his fist against the wall. "Shadow is my friend, I don't want him hurt."

"Maybe we should find the Queen, then. She's really the one in control."

"First, a way out." Cecil placed his fingers in his mouth and whistled.

Three barks followed and Interceptor showed himself to be outside of the bars.

"Man's best friend." Cecil seemed very fond of the dog.

"Clearly." Someone in his group had a dog once. They were rather easy to train, Veld had thought.

"Any help there, Interceptor?"

The dog ran off for a moment and the Seeker and the Hero waited. He padded back a moment later with a ring of keys.

Cecil took them and shook them off, dipping drool and blood to the floor. He handed them to Veld. "Will these work?"

"A key is a key. Now let's go find some doors." It was a good thing body fluids no longer icked him out.

Cecil nodded and then started feeling along the wall of the room they were in. "Here we go, the locks low..."

"Right here?"

"Yeah." Cecil appeared to be looking about for something to hold that would give him smashing abilities. "Your friend can handle himself, I'm sure?"

"With or without a weapon, I'm sure he's handling fine." He fiddled with the lock. The first two keys didn't work, but the third one did.

"Finally." Cecil walked out of the room smoothly and then spoke to the dog again. "Find Shadow." He sighed. "Any ideas of where Kuja would have taken them?"

"Somewhere he would make a big show? Like someplace big like a grand hall or a courtyard of some kind." _You're only on your own if you think you're alone. Such is the way of my people and such is the way of yours._

"So he'd have to restrain them first." Cecil responded. He whistled again, without his fingers the sound was muffled, but the dog returned. "Maybe we should find Aeris and Ifalna first. Trust that Vincent and Shadow can take care of themselves till then? Kuja's occupied.."

"I can go find the women. You go check on them. I was supposed to find her anyway. Keep him occupied longer, then."

Cecil shook his head. "I'm not separating any more than we already are. The women first, then Shadow and Vincent."

"If you insist." Well, he was a Hero, after all. They must all operate under some principle like that.

Cecil nodded and looked around the room. "Very nicely decorated, for a prison..." He motioned for Veld to lead the way.

"A bit frilly for my tastes." Labs weren't like prisons. Using that odd sense of direction he'd gained, he did in fact navigate through a rather large bit of twisting passageways.

The dog halted in front of him and growled. Cecil drew his sword. "Anyone you know up there?" He asked.

"I'm not sure. No... yes. There is. Don't let her fool you, she's just as dangerous as everyone else." _Don't fear. You're too stubborn for something like that._

"Right then." And Cecil proceeded to act the only way he could. Heroically. He pushed the door open and worked his way into the room, sword drawn.

Veld noticed Ifalna first, because it was really the only woman he'd ever had serious eyes for. Maybe it was a foolish bit of romanticism on his part, maybe some kind of blindness that only certain men possessed, but there she was, completely unbound. Aeris was sitting next to her and they hardly looked like prisoners so much as people that were... waiting. Yes, they were waiting.


	18. Chapter Eighteen: The Red

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Eighteen: The Red_

"Oh, so _you_ got here first." And that was not a friendly female voice.

Cecil's eyes narrowed. "Where are our companions?"

"You want to go play with the boys? They're downstairs. Kuja is ever so hard to entertain sometimes." She'd gotten more haughty. Veld really couldn't believe he'd honestly felt _sorry_ for her.

"I doubt they're being anywhere near entertaining, knowing Shadow." He commented then nodded to Aeris and her mother. "How are you ladies?"

Aeris crossed her arms and turned her nose to the air. "Let them go! You nasty witch."

Lucrecia, because who else but Lucrecia could sound like everything a man wanted and feared, stepped out then. And my did she go all out with her assumed role. No more labcoat, no more deceptively modest ponytail. Oh she was beautiful. Veld wasn't dead, he noticed that. But it turned his stomach.

"We've... we've come here to get back what isn't yours." And for god's sake, why did he stammer a little? Lucrecia didn't honestly scare him! Maybe it was the audience. There were reasons he wasn't cut out to be a hero or anything like that.

Cecil was the one who crossed to the table and offered his hand to Ifalana. "Let us hurry, ma'am."

"I'm not leaving without Vincent." Aeris responded. "He didn't leave me behind, I can't leave him."

"We'll all leave together." Ifalna had finally spoken and it was so strange not to hear her as an echo.

Veld, instead of walking up to those they'd come for, walked up to Lucrecia. "You can't keep them. They aren't yours."

She smiled, which in and of itself was worse than some sneers. "So are they yours, then?" He glared.

Cecil growled. "What makes you think that you've got any ability to keep us here?"

She raised her hands. "Because this is mine. You'll only get lost if you try to leave. My own controlled environment. You're rats in my maze. And I'm ever so curious if the brown one will survive this time."

Woman or not, he was feeling rather like ripping her throat out. But when he reached for his gun, it wasn't there.

There was a flutter of red that Veld noticed out of the corner of his eyes.

Cecil didn't appear to see it. "So, what now then, witch?"

She pulled her fingers idly through the air, like there was some kind of stream there... shadow followed it. "Well, first I'm going to go take care of the goal." She snapped her fingers and Ifalna and Aeris, whom had been sitting unbound became rather transparent. "Veld, go get them, if you want them."

She hadn't noticed the red either.

Aeris blinked and nearly stood, but a glance from her mother stopped her. "This isn't RIGHT." She snapped.

Ifalna spoke to Veld again. "Just call it. You don't have to depend on the physical world so much." For some reason, Veld wasn't sure if anyone else heard that. Call what? All he had was that stubborn glare that used to get his jaw broken and his fists, which he was clenching now... well that was new.

He didn't recall having a sword. Especially not a wraith looking one.

Cecil cursed. "Where's my sword?"

Lucrecia was eying Veld warily.

"I don't think you can bring physical weapons in here. Watch the girls." Veld knew he was only going to be a distraction. If he could keep her trying to dodge him, she wouldn't notice it when her own karma snuck up on her. They were a team effort.

So he proceeded to keep her attention.

Cecil walked over and grabbed Ifalna's wrist and then Aeris'. "Pardon me, ladies. He helped them away from the table and they became less faded.

Once again the red fluttered in his vision.

"Are you angry at me?" She trashed talked. Great. He'd grown out of that by the time he was nineteen.

"No, I like trying to cut you up for fun!" He wondered what Ifalna thought, briefly.

"Oh, it was nothing personal, you know. You were just available. Really, you're nothing special." When she moved, sometimes she was in two places at once. She was playing with him, obviously, because she was only on the defensive.

Aeris wanted to move forward, but Cecil wrapped his arm about her waist and hauled upwards, keeping her close to the door.

"Just shut up. You scientists talk too much." He had to admit, with a little practice, he could make this whole sword fighting thing look cool. Maybe he would practice that later. Because it would just be too annoying if there wasn't a later after all this time.

"Let me GO." Aeris struggled. "She's just going to trick him and make him angry."

"It was your heart that gave out, in the end. A little valve that had taken just a little too much strain. He'd be disappointed that you were really quite weak, after all that time he'd spent on you." Did she never just quiet? Honestly, did she like the sound of her voice that much?

"And what would you care? I read through your files. More mice and electrodes."

What was he waiting for? He'd almost gotten her in a corner. "You're the one who cares. Like a little puppy. Always following after people that give you attention."

It was then that Vincent suddenly came up behind her. The claw stretched at her chin and his human hand pulled back on her hip, pressing her back against him. He didn't say a word.

She was visibly surprised, but tried to not let it affect her speech. "So you've come back, lover? A bit late."

"What did you just call me?" he asked, red eyes narrowed at the curve of her nose.

"Oh you're not still mad about the monsters thing? Really, it was a present. You're so much more yourself now." Veld stood guard. It was perhaps the most at home place he'd been since he was alive. Standing between her and Ifalna, and ready to help Vincent.

What twisted sorts of families people created in their heads.

"No, I asked what you called me, not what I was." His hold on the woman tightened, but she liked playing with fire, it seemed.

"Lover, of course." She purred. "It was a good run."

"You know, you never gave me the chance to tell you-" his nose trailed down to her ear.

"What, you ready to admit it now? Or are you still going to be stubborn?" That cat smile again. He'd remembered that vividly. But maybe he did feel the slightest bit sorry for her again, despite that scary look Vincent was giving her.

"Admit what?"

"Your devotion, of course."

"Oh, did you think I loved you?" He sounded genuinely surprised.

Veld averted his eyes. There were some things that he just couldn't watch, despite all that he'd seen.

"What was there to love?" He asked then, a smile played on his lips.

She didn't have anything to say to that.

And then there was nothing to say at all, no final goodbye, no parting words, with a quick, effective "snap" Vincent broke her neck, stepped backwards and let her fall to the floor.


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Found

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Nineteen: Found_

The shadows were shifting, with their witch gone. It was unstable here. With a quick glance to make sure Vincent knew to follow, Veld did the first thing he could think of. With the hand that was not occupied with the wraith blade, he took Ifalna's hand and ran with her. Out. They had to get out. He trusted that instinct.

"Shadow!" Cecil yelled, he sounded worried.

"Taking out the trash." He tossed an unconscious Tseng to the ground.

"Come on! All of you move!" It wasn't safe, they weren't clear.

Aeris was keeping up with them, till she screamed. It stopped abruptly as Vincent leapt in front of her. After a few quick blows, Kuja fell to the floor, sliding along the uneven space and leaving ripples in his wake. Vincent landed just in front of Aeris at a crouch.

Veld stopped. "Keep going. Just look straight forward," he didn't want to order Iffy, but she was his _reason._ But she shook her head.

"I'll wait."

He came up on Kuja from the other side. Veld should have figured the annoyed feathered thing wouldn't go down as easy as Lucrecia. She wasn't a fighter. He was.

He was fast, back flipping a few times before gaining his feet. The castle dripped around them. "Where is your heart at?" He asked Vincent. "You killed a helpless woman without a thought in front of a child."

"Oh bullshit. I think I've had enough of you." Fast, but then, Veld was the one with the incorporeal sword. Which still boggled him.

Kuja hadn't expected the attack to come from Veld, he dodged Vincent, nearly into Veld's attack.

Always a team effort. "Maybe you're the one who should be asking where your heart is." Incorporeal swords didn't impale much differently than solid ones. This was a bit of a relief.

Kuja's small hands were strong, clamped on his shoulder. "You... you're the one who's going to kill me?" He looked offended. "All the other ones got to see the monster...."

"No one gets special privileges. And not all monsters are the same, you know." He twisted, just to make sure that he'd made it fatal. Kuja shouldn't complain. There were much worse and messier ways to die, after all.

"You... think so, then?" Kuja asked, he smiled and his nails dug into Veld's shoulder.

"Just let go." And it wasn't because he was hanging on like a bitch, either.

Ceilings dripping felt like water, wet and unlike that nothing. "I'm taking you wi-" He shuddered, Vincent's claw dug into his shoulder and Kuja let Veld go.

Veld smiled at Vincent. "Thanks." And then frowned. "And way to defend yourself against trash talk, do I always have to talk for you?" But he wasn't going to wait for a reply. Ifalna's warm hand was within his own again and he was running. He wasn't going to let them drown.

Vincent's long legs loped easily beside him. "I don't need to trash talk."

"Yes, but sitting there when someone's going blah blah blah like--" he stopped. No, better to concentrate on moving forward, not argue with Vincent over something silly.

_Your pulse in my blood._ When the melting corridors made way to more solid forms, still dark, but less illusionary, he realized that he'd actually done it. Like actually, He'd found her.

Her very real hand was clinging to his own and it was suddenly the most solid thing he'd known. The sword was gone _Defender_ he didn't need it anymore. Him and the little makeshifts of a family were all that was left.

Cecil and Shadow hit the doors at the same time and pulled them open. "Hurry!"

_Hold on. Please hold on._ "Aeris, Vincent! You following?" Footsteps and heartbeats. There were so many heartbeats.

At his ear. "Right here, kid."

A few more yards and they were out of range. _Here._ He turned to see it go to ruins, like the abandoned castle it must have been in the first place. They'd all gotten out. They were all still alive. He felt like collapsing on the ground and laughing.

But he didn't.

"It is going to be a long way home..." Shadow stated, brushing himself off.

"You can use that mechanical thing that Vincent and I used to get here, if you want." She was in the corner of his vision and still hadn't let go of his hand and he was starting to feel nervous now.

"I wish we had an airship..." Cecil sighed. "We all won't fit, let's get walking."

Shadow nodded. The sun was setting behind them and he and Interceptor picked up their pace.

Veld was suddenly and entirely aware he didn't know where to go from here. "I-Ifalna?" He stopped, letting the others walk ahead of him a bit. Might as well get it out of the way so he could take her to wherever she wanted to go and hopefully handle the rest of his second life fine without her.

"Yes, Deyka?" Only she could ever get away with that nickname.

"I'm sorry. If you wanted to get married, I shouldn't have gotten mad at you. It's your life, your choices, and I never did give you a reason to forgo any of that." As long as he didn't look at her, he managed to get the words out without stumbling. But she was Ifalna and she never did like it when he did that.

She turned his head by lightly grasping his chin. "If I was mad, why would I ask you to come see me?"

"B-because you're nice?"

She shook her head in that way which said, 'Deyka, you're such a silly boy sometimes' which was one of the things he loved about her. Then she was wrapping her arms around his neck and dammit he wasn't going to flush. He wasn't.

"She's your daughter." And clearly he was going to find out exactly what a heart attack felt like. He needed air. Desperately.

"Ex-excuse me?" Oh god and Vincent was watching now too, and Aeris, wait his daughter, no Aeris... why did things like that just have to happen all at once?!

"It's why I left. I had to protect her, you know. I didn't want you pulling one of your..."

"Stupidly brave stunts of much destruction. It's fine, but, you're serious?"

He still wanted air and she hadn't as of yet let go of her hold. "I'm always serious."

"I... wow. Just, well, Iffy?" He swallowed. Time for Fadeyka Veld to finally Say It. "I l-love you and I want you to stay with me. We can find Gast if you want and make sure he's--"

She always tended to cut him off like that. Better than babbling on for a while. Much better. And if that was any indication, he suddenly had a teenager on his hands. How was it that things were always so complicated? Oh right.

Because if it were easy, it wouldn't be worth it.


	20. Chapter Twenty: Home

**Fairy Tales**  
_Chapter Twenty: Home _

She watched as her mother and father walked slowly behind Cecil and Shadow. The dark man behind her wasn't following. "You're coming home, right?"

Vincent watched the sun start to meet the mountain range behind them and didn't speak.

"You have to come home, it's over now." Aeris walked back and tugged on his human hand. "I promise I won't hurt you."

He looked down at her like he thought she was insane. "You're the one who should be afraid, child."

"Of what? You're not a bad person." She tugged again. "Come on, come home with me."

Vincent pulled his hand from Aeris' grasp, but turned to follow the others. Cecil and Shadow were waiting, and at this time, Ifalana and Veld had turned around too.

"Well, we're supposed to be walking into the sunset, you know." Aeris started talking to him about nothing. "But this will due I guess, into the rising moon."

_-+-_

It was by the sea. He'd had a secret little longing to live by the seashore when he was younger, there was some kind of notion in his head that nothing bad ever happened there. Veld was strangely comfortable with the notion that he was, in fact, settling down. Not everything was settled yet, but the process was started.

Like the door he was painting. It was becoming increasingly clear that he was never meant to be an artist of visual mediums. "Dear? Can you give me a hand with this; I think I've scared the paint."

"You're holding the brush like you are afraid of the paint, Deyka."

"Then, fair lady, vanquish it for me? Save me from this horrible torture?" She laughed, and took the brush from him.

He kept in contact with Cid, because there still was a matter of Ifalna's wayward husband. And he wasn't going to marry her or anything unless that matter was settled. Ifalna had assured him that Gast wouldn't mind, really, that he was in love with ideas more than people, but he supposed it was honorable. Or something like that.

"Since I'm taking over here, can you go check on Aeris? She's been gone for a while." And that matter. He suddenly had a teenager to raise, though she was proving to be a lot like her mother when it came to maturity--despite having inherited his stubborn streak.

It was getting quite warm by this time of day, and as soon as he found his wayward daughter he was going to chug some of the lemonade that Iffy made earlier. Maybe sit down and mull over that offer to go teach at the local university. He really was an old man, despite the restart. It was a good kind of old, though.

"Daddy?" He was still not used to that. "Have you seen Vin?"

He had expected Vincent to disappear a while ago and go off and do whatever sort of broody thing he was apt to. Despite their little adventure, he was still rather anti-social and more in his own head. But Veld understood that now. Maybe eventually the man would see he was part of the family too. "Not lately, is that why you worried your mother?"

"I didn't worry anyone, VIN is the one worrying, I haven't seen him all day." She crossed her arms and sighed.

"He just likes his privacy. You shouldn't pester him." That stubborn look on her face... yes, he understood Vincent a bit more looking at her. It was strange how that worked.

"God, why is he so afraid of people?!" She growled and stormed off into the house.

He would deal with that later. "I can see you, you know. She's gone; you don't have to hide anymore."

Vincent shook his head and waved a hand from where he was sitting on the other side of the house.

"I think she's decided that you're her new best friend. Or something."

"Something." Vincent agreed.

Veld breathed in. "It's nice here, isn't it? Real change of pace from the city."

Vincent nodded.

"I've been meaning to discuss this, but with all that's been going on lately... I haven't had the chance to." He kept a watchful eye out for any pink hiding about. Luckily Aeris must have decided to voice her frustrations at Ifalna for the time being.

Vincent sat his book down and looked at Veld. It was his way of saying that he was listening.

"What are your plans?"

"I don't have them, Veld."

He figured as much. "Well, how about you stay here, then? I mean, it won't be exciting all the time, maybe you could go to school or help out around the house, scare away large animals..." Veld half grinned at that. It was a joke, after all.

He picked the book back up. "Sure, kid."

Veld had opened his mouth, ready to argue with whatever Vincent was likely to retort with... and realized there was not retort. Sneaky. "Oh, well, that's good!" He smiled.

"Someone other than Ifalana needs common sense in your household." He retorted. It took a moment, but that was a joke.

"I should put jam on your humor, it's a little dry. Oh! Do you know how to paint?"

"... " Vincent turned. "You put the brush onto the surface you are painting and move it."

"Exactly, since you're an expert, I should leave it to you. I'm going to go inside and drink lemonade now." So he was being a bit of a punk and he did in fact start walking a little fast.

"I will shove that brush somewhere entirely unpleasant."

He didn't doubt that. "Uh... just kidding? You want lemonade then?"

Vincent looked at the book for a moment and then shrugged. Sitting the item aside, he stood and walked over to the paint can and looked down. "You need a roller, Veld. Get two when you go in and get the lemonade."

"Alright. Two rollers." A warm afternoon at the seaside. His daughter had decided to go hunt for shells and Ifalna was making sandwiches for later. This was good. Happily ever after was the kind of thing that didn't seem real. Because it wasn't. But it could be good.

Yeah, this was good.


End file.
